[image_credit]REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque[/image_credit][image_caption]Rep. Ilhan Omar[/image_caption]
Omar responded in an interview with WCCO-TV’s Esme Murphy Tuesday: “We began by asking about the claim that she is the other woman in this D.C. divorce filing. WCCO asked, ‘Are you separated from your husband? Are you dating somebody?’ The Congresswoman replied, ‘No, I am not. As I said yesterday, I have no interest in allowing the conversation about my personal life to continue and so I have no desire to discuss it.’”
At MPR, Tim Pugmire with an assist from the AP says, “The Minnesota Department of Human Services says it must repay the federal government an estimated $48 million that it paid to ineligible chemical dependency treatment providers. … On Monday, the Department of Human Services said the estimated cost to the state will be $48 million. That’s on top of the $25 million the agency overpaid to two tribes for substance abuse treatment under Medicaid.”
The Star Tribune’s Mary Lynn Smith writes: “Gophers football fans cried foul Tuesday when Minneapolis park officials unexpectedly sacked tailgating and parking on the grassy field at the East River Flats Park. Within hours, fans won a reversal. Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) officials made the initial announcement on their Facebook page early Tuesday afternoon, just two days before the season opener.”
For the Forum News Service Eric Peterson says, “Attendance for North Dakota State’s football game at Target Field is expected to exceed 35,000, said Paul Froehle, the Minnesota Twins vice president of ticket operations. The defending NCAA Division I FCS champion Bison play Butler University (Ind.) at 3 p.m. Saturday to open the regular season. As of late Tuesday morning, close to 33,000 tickets had been sold for the event.”
In the Star Tribune, Miguel Otarola reports, “Electricity use is down and more power is coming from renewable sources, but Minneapolis has a stubborn foe as it strives to curb greenhouse gases and fight climate change: natural gas. Citywide consumption of natural gas rose last year, staff found, and it is now the biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions.”
For the AP, Sara Burnett writes, “When Amy Klobuchar wends her way through the hordes of people at the Minnesota State Fair, it’s clear she’s on her home turf. … As they milled about for a chance to snap a picture or shake Klobuchar’s hand, many of the people who know her best said it’s been disappointing to see her struggle – Klobuchar has been polling from 1% to 4% – in a crowded primary field. Now that she’s qualified for the next debate, they wished there was something more she could do to grab the spotlight, increase her name recognition and convince voters that she can win. They, ever so nicely, counted themselves among the doubters. ‘I love Amy. And I think she’d be a great president,’ said Merilee Vados, 64, of Blaine, a Minneapolis suburb. ‘But I think you’ve got to really rip Trump apart. You’ve gotta dish it out.’ ‘We’re afraid she’s not going to be able to beat him,’ added Vada Rudolph, 74, of Circle Pines, a neighboring suburb.”
Honestly, who cares about Omar’s personal relationships?
The right-wing Islamophobes, few of whom live in the Fifth District.
Yes, Rep. Drazkowski, I was thinking of you.
No one should care about Omar’s personal relationships.
The problem is when her personal relationships conflict with the law, such as filing joint tax returns with someone who was not her legal husband.
In this case, her campaign paid this guy’s firm over $200,000 and paid for his travel. If he’s just a political consultant, that’s ok. If he’s more than that, as has been alleged by his wife, there are legal ramifications and it is a matter of public interest.
Another day, another “you must report every negative allegation about a politician I don’t like” post.
Or, another day, another call to ignore legitimate news about a politician with a history of dishonest and unethical behavior who you happen to like.
Well said Pat. The truth will come out. And if the truth shows legal infractions, lets hope justice is blind to bias.
Now we know why she did not have time to polish her LA speech on “some people did some things”: She was out on the town holding hands with her new boyfriend or at least the published pictures would indicate so: we can believe Omar or our lying eyes.
If one is offended by Trump lies, you should also be offended by Omar lies.
A fair trade: they both resign and go away…
One, embodying every one of the seven deadly sins like no other, is coordinating with foreign enemies to obliterate democracy worldwide, fomenting genocide, destroying the ecological basis for human society, and basically pulling the legs out from under human civilization as fast as he can pedal. The other may have had some sort of consenting relations with another adult who was married at the time. You’re really going to try to Both-Sides this one?
I just find it difficult to say her behavior is not a problem or issue:
“Nothing to see here, just move along”
If she makes a public pronouncement (I have no extramarital relationships) and it is proven false by a published picture she should be called on it. To simply excuse it or ignore it is not a partisan path I care to go down.
Do the no comment, none of your business route, or tell the truth. Both are hard paths to follow and as our President has shown us lying is easy and surprisingly effective.
She is a ticking time bomb that will bring further embarrassment to the progressive cause until it becomes too much and she exits elective office with maximum collateral damage.
How does an extra-marital affair affect her performance in Congress? How does paying her paramour for campaign services rendered with campaign funds constitute a legal infraction?
Let’s pretend it’s not Ilhan Omar when we ask those questions. Let’s pretend that nice suburban lady got the nomination and won election. How much difference would it make? Would she be a “ticking time bomb?” Or does imagery like that come easier with someone like Rep. Omar?
The accusation in the divorce filing would be news for any member of congress, even a “nice suburban lady”. Omar is certainly a lightning rod for news, but her own marriage history – claiming to be married to one man (and filing joint tax returns) while being legally married to another, makes extra-marital allegations even more newsworthy.
Directing campaign business to your paramour’s company raises all kinds of ethical issues, and if the money was spent on non-campaign items, legal ones too. Again, Omar has a history of campaign finance violations and had had to reimburse her campaign out of personal funds.
You’re confusing me. You recently noted that “No one should care about Omar’s personal relationships.” Now, you’re telling us that “The accusation in the divorce filing would be news for any member of congress . . .” Does your disgust for Rep. Omar run so deep that you aren’t even going to make an attempt at consistency?
“Directing campaign business to your paramour’s company raises all kinds of ethical issues . . .”
For whom? Aren’t candidates free to pick the vendors supplying services to their campaigns? As long as the expenses are legitimate and accounted for, the choice of vendor is not an issue (unless you hate the candidate).
“. . . and if the money was spent on non-campaign items, legal ones too.”
Yes, except we don’t know that the money was spent on non-campaign items, do we? Oh, wait . . .
“Again, Omar has a history of campaign finance violations and had had to reimburse her campaign out of personal funds.”
Therefore, she must be guilty now! Honestly, you can’t trust her any further than you can throw her, can you?
You have just vindicated the Trump regime and Alpha News. Not a bad day’s work.
Your understanding would be greatly improved if you actually read the linked article.
I did. The NY Post is noted for its salacious reporting, and it never answers questions about why her conduct, even if true, raises legal questions.
Accusations thrown by Omar-haters are not real evidence.
The accusation in question was leveled in court, via a sworn affidavit.
She affaint may hate Rep. Omar, that would be understandable; but she had the forthright honor to make her accusation lawfully, by name, and willingly.
I know what the New York Post is. And I know they don’t like Omar.
But they (along with multiple other, more legitimate news outfits) accurately reported a court filing that contained these allegations.
For the record, they are now reporting that Omar and her husband have been separated for months and may be divorcing. I bring that up only for the point that despite your denials of everything regarding Omar, that the story may be true.
I’m not an Omar hater. I’m a loyal Democrat. But I think both sides need to be held to the same standards.
Let’s pretend it’s not Ilhan Omar, first Somali-American member of Congress who is also a Muslim. Let’s ask ourselves if we would give a rat’s hind end if she were in fact separated from her husband.
Let’s also ask if we would be so quick to accept the veracity of an angry spouse’s allegations in a divorce action.
Compromising photos of Rep. Omar and her paramour exist. There is a sworn affidavit suggesting Omar was paying the expenses for her paramour to accompany her for, well, non-campaign purposes.
She does, in fact have a history of using campaign funds for personal purposes. It’s public record.
Nice suburban lady?
I give you one Michelle Bachmann…
Left or right, both ticking time bombs as evidenced by throwing their bombs here there and everywhere. Bachmann wore out her welcome in the reddest of red districts after 3 terms.
Bachmann did not work out so well for the right and Omar is following the same track: lots of talk, lots of headlines, results? not so much.
Or how about a nice Jewish boy from the suburbs? My congress person, Dean Phillips, who has kept his head down, worked on exactly what he campaigned on, builds relationships when it works, avoids unneeded drama.
Take a look at his state fair interview to see what an effective congress person looks like:
https://twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1vAxRqngbZzJl
Unless I’m mistaken, the statement being referred to here is a sworn affidavit that has been filed with a court of law. It’s not an unverified story from an unnamed source on MSNBC.
If I was Rep. Omar, and if that sworn affidavit was false, I’d see challenging it in court as my duty.
Framing reasonable inquiries by the press as “stupid questions” isn’t what a slandered person does. It’s a guilty person’s frustration with being caught out.
Perhaps Rep. Omar will realize this and do her duty, or do the right thing if duty cannot be attended to.
People make “sworn affidavits” that aren’t true every day of the week. This is especially true in divorce cases.
“If I was Rep. Omar, and if that sworn affidavit was false, I’d see challenging it in court as my duty.” She is not a party to the divorce case, and can’t just jump in and challenge allegations.
“Framing reasonable inquiries by the press as “stupid questions” isn’t what a slandered person does. It’s a guilty person’s frustration with being caught out.”
Of course, this has nothing to do with President Trump, and your comment should in no way be seen as applying to him.
A sworn affidavit is a legal document. Submitting a false one to the court is grounds for a charge of perjury. It means the affaint is serious.
“She is not a party to the divorce case, and can’t just jump in and challenge allegations.”
Excuse me? If these heinous allegations are not true, they are a clear cut case of libel. Why wouldn’t Rep Omar want to protect her reputation, unless she has read QB7?
“Of course, this has nothing to do with President Trump, and your comment should in no way be seen as applying to him.”
That’s a very good observation, sir. So why did you make the comment?
“If these heinous allegations are not true, they are a clear cut case of libel. Why wouldn’t Rep Omar want to protect her reputation, unless she has read QB7?”
If the “heinous allegations” are as they appear in the NY Post story, they aren’t especially defamatory of Rep. Omar. You also need to look up the definition of “heinous.”
Incidentally, QBVII was based on a British case. England, as I’m sure you know, is an entirely different country, and has laws on defamation that differ significantly from those of the US.
You mentioned that “[f]raming reasonable inquiries by the press as “stupid questions” isn’t what a slandered person does. It’s a guilty person’s frustration with being caught out.” I can’t imagine why that put me in the mind of President Trump. Any suggestions?
Yet another manufactured Omar controversy.
Accusations of infidelity are quite common in divorce filings, and they are rarely pursued as libel or slander because the accusations are directed at the spouse. Furthermore since these are civil court proceedings the standard isn’t beyond a reasonable doubt, to the accusers don’t have to “prove” the accusations, nor does anyone need to disprove them. The last thing someone like Omar is going to do is embroil themselves in someone else’s divorce, regardless of the accusations involved.
And by the way, even if the guy did tell is wife he was leaving her for Omar… that doesn’t actually prove anything, the guy could be delusional.
I think we all need to get on the same page. I don’t think anyone is suggesting Omar’s romantic affairs are the issue.
The issue is the allegation that Omar may have used campaign money to fund an affair. Representative Duncan Hunter has been criminally indicted for doing the same thing; it’s kind of a big deal.
She has a history of misusing campaign funds, after all.