‘A caricature of corruption’: Inside Trump’s ‘rule breaking’ probe into Ilhan Omar’s citizenship

[0:00] The Trump administration is using the levers of the federal government to escalate the president's retribution campaign against one of his most vocal opponents, Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. [0:10] The Washington Post reports that during the Trump administration's first term, Congresswoman Omar was subject to a review of her citizenship records at the request of the admin. [0:21] That's according to three former officials involved in the 2019 review. [0:25] According to one of the former officials, Homeland Security investigations ultimately determined that there was insufficient evidence of wrongdoing and a full investigation was abandoned. [0:37] But the president's effort against Omar has continued with federal agents searching her Washington, D.C. home earlier this week, seizing her laptop, cell phone and passport. [0:49] At least a dozen subpoenas have already been issued, many of whom are Omar's relatives. [0:54] The Department of Homeland Security referred questions to the Justice Department and a spokesperson for the DOJ told the Post that the agency does not comment on ongoing investigations. [1:06] The Wall Street Journal reports that the administration's investigation is aimed at trying to build a case to strip the Congresswoman of her citizenship and ultimately deport her. [1:16] Kimberly Atkinson, Kimberly Atkins store and Miles Taylor are back with us. [1:21] Kimberly, can you just help us take a step back and talk about how unprecedented and insane this is that a sitting president is trying to use the powers of the presidency to deport a congresswoman for the second time? [1:41] Yeah. So first, I mean, just the number of rules and norms that this breaks is first of all, legislators have broad protection under the speech and debate clause. [1:54] So I would be interested in seeing that warrant and how it was limited with that in mind. [2:00] I know Congresswoman Omar had some questions about that. [2:03] She was alleging that there was a violation of rules that are meant to protect that speech and debate protection is all apparently the post reported that prosecutors were going back and forth with the federal judge who signed off on this warrant extensively about keeping within the parameters of the speech and debate clause. [2:21] But still taking your taking your device, your phone and and going after. [2:27] Yes. So there's that issue. There's also DOJ policy that of that part, 60 days before an election, you are not supposed to be engaging in some sort of operation like this. [2:37] So that blatantly goes against it. But just stepping back with Donald Trump, I feel like this is a sense that he understands the desperate position Republicans are in going into the midterms because he seems to be falling back into well-tread ways, retribution going after his enemies. [2:55] What enemy is he going to go after? Oh, the black Muslim woman, because that's an easy thing. [3:00] That's why you see Pete Hexeth going in on trans people. That's why you see these boogeymen coming back out of the surface in this retribution. [3:10] But more broadly, you're also seeing him going after other people like Lisa Cook and. [3:15] Oh, yeah, we have it. We have the list. We have the list. Lisa Cook, Letitia James, Congressman LaMonica McIver. [3:20] Right. So you see. [3:21] Kimberly Guilfoyle, though, not on that list. [3:23] Not on that list. Not on that list. But what do voters care about corruption? [3:28] So that was a very, very bad news item because that was like a caricature of corruption in this in this administration. [3:36] Miles, you were the chief of staff at the DHS during the first term, spectacularly and publicly left up and opened some eyes into what was happening. [3:49] But when we talk about denaturalization, it is not a process, I think, that a lot of Americans understand. [3:57] Can you talk about how high the bar is? Because to be denaturalized, for someone to come here, get citizenship and for us to take that away, the bar is high and it should be. [4:09] The bar is very, very high. [4:12] And actually, I have to say, one of the things that was really striking to me about this report is that this first review into Omar was asked for by a political appointee in 2019. [4:24] That is the year that I resigned in protest as DHS chief of staff. [4:27] And I'm very curious exactly what month that happened, because the White House, after a number of us left the administration in protest, urged other people from the department who were regularly saying no to illegal requests. [4:40] So I'm wondering who made that request, because it's the type of thing that if it had come across my desk, you immediately say, whoa, we need to talk to the lawyers. [4:50] You do not get specific names from political appointees or the White House or others of people to investigate. [4:56] You would consider that selective and vindictive prosecution. [4:59] You would consider that in like constitutional red zone territory. [5:03] So it's remarkable that that even happened the first time. [5:07] Then, of course, remarkable that they found no evidence. [5:09] And now in a second administration are going after Omar again. [5:14] But as you know, this is not the type of thing that a tiny paperwork error can lead you to be denaturalized. [5:20] That bar is high for a reason, because once the United States government says you are a citizen, taking that back has remarkable ramifications. [5:28] But this White House has been keen on doing that as a display of federal power and as a threat to those who would speak out against the president. [5:37] Kimberly, I'm going to switch gears. [5:40] Yes. [5:41] Because you have a law degree. [5:45] I do. [5:47] And I bring that up because. [5:51] I also pass the bar. [5:52] OK, so we're going to get into this. [5:54] We're going to get into this in the next block. [5:57] OK. [5:57] Can you please explain to people why it is wildly problematic that Ms. Zachariah went out there and said she practiced corporate law, that she was a corporate lawyer and she didn't pass the bar? [6:15] I remember many times I would say to you, you know, you're a lawyer and you would immediately say, I'm not a practicing lawyer. [6:20] Right. [6:21] Right. [6:21] But even though I no longer practice, I did practice and I was licensed in the state of Massachusetts. [6:28] To me, what is so important about this is when someone stands up and takes the oath, when they become sworn into the bar, they swear to uphold the Constitution and to act in a way in accordance as an officer of the court. [6:41] And I still, even though I'm not practicing, take that very seriously, that means not doing things like spreading falsehoods or making specious legal claims. [6:51] When I sit here and I'm talking to all of you, I do so with my obligation and the honor that it comes from being a member of the bar in in front of mine. [7:00] So she's taking this position. [7:01] And she's saying, well, it's a press secretary who cares if she has a law degree or not. [7:04] Well, if you can't even lie about something that you would be legally barred from doing. [7:10] And it is, by the way, a crime, a misdemeanor to claim that you are authorized to practice law when you're not. [7:17] You you can't. [7:18] How can anyone expect you to tell the truth? [7:20] And so this was a big deal. [7:22] It was a big deal. [7:23] I'm going to talk more about it. [7:25] Kimberly Atkins star, Miles Taylor, especially Miles. [7:29] Thank you very much for coming back to the weekend. [7:33] Hey, it's Rachel. 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