Representative Ilhan "I have a strange relationship with my brother" Omar (D-Minn) was recruited by Qatar, received funding from a foreign government, and exchanged sensitive information with intermediaries to Iran, a according to testimony in a recent Florida court hearing.
Canadian businessman Alan Bender recently shared evidence in the trial of Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad al-Thani who stands accused of ordering his American bodyguard to murder two people and holding an American citizen hostage.
Bender told the Florida District Court about how he spoke with Qatar’s Secretary to the Emir for Security Affairs Mohammad bin Ahmed bin Abdullah al-Masnad and two other senior Qatari officials.
His deposition states three officials told him: "If it wasn't for our cash, Ilhan Omar would be just another black Somali refugee in America collecting welfare and serving tables on weekends."
Bender testified that the officials asked him to recruit American politicians and journalists as Qatari assets, and that when he objected, was told that several prominent figures were already on the payroll. Omar was described as the "jewel in the crown," he said.
Qatar “recruited Ilhan Omar from even way before she thought about becoming a government official… They groomed her and arranged the foundation, the grounds, for her to get into politics way before she even showed interest. They convinced her,” he added.
The deposition shows he further told the court that, during a 2017 meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Omar swore allegiance to him. At the time she was a junior state representative in Minnesota.
Omar was said to also have passed information to Qatar which was subsequently handed along to Iran, and was actively involved in recruiting other American politicians to likewise work for the west Asian Islamic country, Bender testified.