Trump Administration Attempted to Use Ilhan Omar's Former Bodyguard

Washington (Caasimada Online) – Federal prosecutors in the United States have offered Cabdullaahi Maxamed assistance to avoid deportation if he provides information that could harm Congresswoman Ilhaan Cumar, according to his lawyer Bruce Rivers, who spoke to The New York Times.

The U.S. Department of Justice dropped serious criminal charges against Cabdullaahi in September. It told the newspaper that the case has “absolutely no connection to the ongoing investigations.”

Rivers stated that the prosecutors told him that the investigation into Ilhaan is “one hundred percent being run out of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue,” which is the address of the White House.

Ilhaan's spokesperson, Jackie Rogers, stated that Ilhaan has never directly employed Cabdullaahi. She described the request made by the lawyer as “a gross abuse of presidential power,” and accused the administration of using government power to intimidate political opponents.

According to Rivers, Cabdullaahi told investigators that he had briefly protected Ilhaan during her visit to Puntland, northeastern Somalia, but that they knew each other very briefly. He also visited her office on Capitol Hill, the newspaper reported.

Rivers said that the request came after a meeting that took place in March. The prosecutors asked Cabdullaahi about Ilhaan's marriage and how she came to the United States.

They also mentioned a $10,000 payment involving Ilhan and one of Abdullahi's brothers, which they described as a potential bribe.

Abdullahi later told prosecutors that his brother had characterized the money as a payment for a debt, Rivers said. Rogers declined to respond to the newspaper's questions regarding that payment.

“Tell us everything you know,” Rivers summarized the purpose of the questions being asked to Abdullahi. He stated that Abdullahi had tried to cooperate with investigators but did not have any information linking Ilhan to a crime.

The green card interview

Abdullahi holds citizenship from Somalia and Britain. He applied for permanent residency in the United States after marrying an American woman in Minnesota.

Two people familiar with the case told The New York Times that investigators viewed his green card application as a way to gather information about Ilhan.

During the interview in October 2025, an immigration officer asked Abdullahi if he had any contact with officials from the U.S. government or politicians, and whether he had worked for the Somali government while in the United States. He answered no to both questions.

Rivers stated that Abdullahi did not fully understand the questions, as he was not proficient in English.

The immigration department rejected his application. In February, the Department of Justice sent Abdullahi a letter informing him that he was under investigation for his responses, the newspaper reported.

In April, a federal judge in Minnesota charged Abdullahi with making a false statement under oath. This charge could result in a sentence of up to five years in prison, and his trial is scheduled for October.

According to court records cited by the newspaper, the case was handled by two senior prosecutors, who were heads of the criminal division and the fraud and corruption section of the federal prosecutor's office in Minnesota.

The two officials were still at the beginning of their careers and took on leadership roles after several experienced prosecutors resigned earlier in the year. Those prosecutors had expressed concerns about how the office handled the tough immigration operations of the Trump administration.

Ryan Wood, a former federal prosecutor and immigration judge in Minnesota, stated that it is very rare for someone to be charged with a crime related to their responses during a green card interview.

He questioned whether the prosecutors could prove that Abdullahi intentionally lied, noting his limited English proficiency and the questions being asked in a very general manner.

} Wood added that if Cabdullaahi were to allow Ilhaan to testify, the request for assistance with his travel issues would undermine the credibility of his testimony.

Testimony in Washington

Cabdullaahi testified on September 3 before a federal grand jury in Washington, which was investigating Ilhaan, Rivers said. Prosecutors presented him with legal immunity regarding statements he made there that could incriminate him.

The following day, prosecutors asked the judge to dismiss the case. They stated that the immigration office had begun the process of deporting Cabdullaahi in August, and his expected departure eliminated the need for the case to continue, according to a court filing cited by the newspaper.

The head of the criminal division resigned the week the court closed the case. In a message to colleagues, he stated that there was no specific urgent matter that prompted his departure.

Cabdullaahi left the United States shortly after the case was dismissed. His wife, who is studying to be a medical assistant, remained in the country, Rivers said.

The New York Times contacted Cabdullaahi last week by phone while he was in Nairobi. He declined to comment on the case, stating that he would address the matter when he was ready.

Investigation of Ilhaan Cumar

The federal investigation related to Ilhan's immigration came to light on October 12, when officials from the Department of Homeland Security searched her home in Washington.

They seized her phone and issued more than a dozen subpoenas related to the grand jury investigating the case. Some of her relatives were among those who received subpoenas, according to the Associated Press.

The New York Times reported in October that investigators are looking into whether Ilhan's marriage in 2009 was a sham to obtain a green card for a man believed to be her brother. Ilhan has repeatedly denied that allegation.

“For ten years, Trump has been targeting me with baseless lies and smear campaigns,” Ilhan wrote after the search of her home.

Investigators are also examining immigration documents her family submitted more than a decade ago, Reuters reported. The family fled Somalia and lived for years in a refugee camp in Kenya before coming to the United States. Ilhan became a U.S. citizen in 2000.

Trump referred to Ilhan as “one of the leaders” in March and called for an investigation while unveiling a federal task force to combat fraud.

Later that same month, Vice President JD Vance accused Ilhan of immigration-related fraud. In an interview with conservative analyst Benny Johnson, he said he had spoken with Stephen Miller about potential legal action. Trump appointed Miller as White House chief of staff on November 6.

When asked in October about the investigation into Ilhan's home, Trump stated that he had no involvement in the operation.

At the end of October, the Justice Department opposed requests from media organizations to disclose the warrant used to search Ilhan's home and related documents.

It stated in a court filing that such disclosure could jeopardize the investigation. So far, prosecutors have not filed any criminal charges against Ilhan.

Jeanine Pirro, the federal prosecutor in Washington, stated in October that her office is also reviewing financial reports that Ilhan submits to Congress.

Ilhan corrected one of those reports, listing a business interest of her husband at a value higher than the actual amount. Her office attributed the discrepancy to a bookkeeping error.

The Office of Congressional Ethics advised the House Ethics Committee to dismiss the allegations related to that report, as reported by The Wall Street Journal in September.

Ilhan was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for the fifth time on November 3, three weeks after the search of her home. She received 76.5 percent of the votes cast in Minnesota's fifth congressional district, according to unofficial state results.