Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., broke her silence Tuesday night with a plea for campaign cash, promising supporters she would return to the campaign trail and fight back against a federal investigation into her immigration status.
The progressive “Squad” member posted a roughly one-minute video recorded from the back seat of a car. Omar has largely kept a low profile since her home was searched as part of the sweeping federal probe.
In the video, Omar thanked supporters who have sent her donations, saying the money would help her “fight Trump and his administration for trying to intimidate me and so many other people right before the midterm elections.”
Speaking directly into the camera from inside the vehicle, the Minnesota Democrat struck a defiant tone.
“We know that they’re running scared, we’re not going to be intimidated, we’re not going to be silenced, we’re not going to be scared,” Omar said.
She went on to tell her backers that she plans to hit the campaign trail and help Democrats win in November.
“I’ll be out there campaigning alongside all of you and making sure that we beat back all of this and that we win in the midterms — win the House, win the Senate and hold this administration accountable,” Omar said.
The congresswoman then made her pitch for financial support, telling viewers that the road ahead would be costly.
“Thank you so much again and please continue to support us,” Omar said. “It is going to be a very expensive and challenging time and so we appreciate whether you’re able to send $5, $10, $20.”
She closed the video with a simple “Thank you.”
Omar’s fundraising appeal comes as the Trump administration builds a case against her that could result in her being deported to Somalia, the country where she was born.
Last week, federal agents seized Omar’s phone, notebooks, computers and passport as part of a years-long investigation into possible immigration fraud. The search of her home marked a significant escalation in the federal probe.
Since then, Omar has stayed largely out of public view, making Tuesday night’s video one of her first public messages since agents carried out the search.
In the clip, Omar cast the investigation as an attempt by President Trump and his administration to intimidate her and others ahead of the midterm elections, and she made clear she does not intend to back down.
Omar has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
[READ MORE: Feds Turn to DNA Evidence in Immigration Fraud Probe of Rep. Ilhan Omar, Sources Say]
