Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), long criticized for controversial remarks about Israel and money in politics, is now facing fresh scrutiny after her 2024 financial disclosure revealed a sudden personal fortune valued at up to $30 million.
In 2019, Omar provoked bipartisan backlash when she suggested that American lawmakers’ support for Israel was driven by financial influence. Responding to Republican leader Kevin McCarthy’s criticism of her stance on Israel, Omar tweeted: “It’s all about the Benjamins, baby,” implying that campaign contributions explained U.S. support for the Jewish state. When pressed by a journalist to identify who was “paying American politicians to be pro-Israel,” Omar singled out AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee—despite the fact that AIPAC does not donate to political campaigns.
The remarks drew condemnation from fellow Democrats. House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler called the comments “deeply disappointing and disturbing” and accused Omar of trafficking in “old antisemitic tropes about Jews and money.” Omar later issued an apology, but doubled down on her criticism of lobbying, saying: “I reaffirm the problematic role of lobbyists in our politics, whether it be AIPAC, the NRA or the fossil fuel industry.”
Now, revelations about Omar’s newfound wealth have reignited charges of hypocrisy. In February 2024, Omar dismissed reports that she was worth millions as “ridiculous” and “categorically false,” insisting on social media that she had only “thousands, let alone millions.” Yet her latest disclosure shows she and her husband, political consultant-turned-businessman Tim Mynett, ended 2024 with a net worth ranging between $6 million and $30 million—representing a 3,500 percent increase in just one year.
The fortune stems from Mynett’s ventures in a California winery and a venture capital firm, Rose Lake Capital. At the end of 2023, Omar reported his combined stakes in the two companies were worth no more than $51,000, with both firms holding less than $700 across their bank accounts. By the end of 2024, however, his ownership had ballooned in value, despite lawsuits and investor disputes that the couple quietly settled.
Mynett’s business record has long drawn criticism because of its overlap with Omar’s political career. Omar’s campaign paid his consulting firm nearly $3 million during the 2020 cycle, before he exited politics to launch new business ventures. Rose Lake Capital now claims to manage $60 billion in assets and touts connections with high-level political figures, even as its rapid growth remains unexplained.
The timing of Mynett’s expansion has also raised eyebrows. Shortly after launching Rose Lake Capital, Omar spearheaded the creation of the U.S.-Africa Policy Working Group, advocating for billions in American investment in Africa. Around the same period, she and Mynett appeared at investment forums on the continent, with Mynett’s firm facilitating panels for global investors.
Omar’s financial windfall, juxtaposed with her past comments linking political influence and money to Jewish organizations, has deepened accusations of hypocrisy. In 2019, she apologized under pressure for invoking antisemitic tropes. In 2024, she denied being wealthy even as her husband’s business holdings surged into the millions.
As scrutiny intensifies, critics argue that Omar, who once warned against the corrosive role of money in politics, now finds herself the beneficiary of precisely the kind of financial entanglements she once decried.
One Response
Don’t stop looking at her! Very interesting! They say the biggest thieves have the most locks on their doors so when she claims people are getting paid, perhaps it’s indicative…