MINNESOTA CAMPAIGN FINANCE BOARD UPHOLDS DRAZKOWSKI COMPLAINT, FINDS U.S. REP. ILHAN OMAR BROKE THE LAW

NEWS FROM REP. STEVE DRAZKOWSKI - - DISTRICT 21-B

For Immediate Release  

Thursday, June 6, 2019

Contact: Andy Gildea

Phone: (651) 296-3316

MINNESOTA CAMPAIGN FINANCE BOARD UPHOLDS DRAZKOWSKI COMPLAINT,

FINDS U.S. REP. ILHAN OMAR BROKE THE LAW

ST. PAUL - - After a year’s investigation, the Minnesota Campaign Finance Board (“CFB”) today upheld a

complaint filed by Rep. Steve Drazkowski (Republican-Mazeppa) alleging that U.S. Representative Ilhan

Omar (Democrat-Minneapolis) had violated campaign finance laws.

“The CFB today held that Rep. Omar’s campaign committee ‘violated the reporting requirements’ under

Minnesota state laws,” Rep, Drazkowski said. “The Board also fined Rep. Omar with a civil penalty and

ordered her to reimburse her campaign committee for improper use of campaign funds for personal

uses.”

In its order issued today, the Board found on page 7 that because the Omar Committee’s 2016 pre-general

report did not include the debts to two law firms covering Rep. Omar’s personal obligations,

“the Omar committee, therefore, violated the reporting requirements” under state law.

On page 13, the Board also ordered Rep. Omar to “personally reimburse the Omar Committee $3,469.23

[for] the total amount of campaign funds that were used for purposes not permitted by statute.”

Further disclosures by the Omar campaign regarding amounts used for immigration services and joint

tax returns must be made within the next ten days. According to page 12 of the CFB order.

“I would like to thank the Board for its extended review of this complaints,” said Rep. Drazkowski. “The

board put an amazing amount of investigative work into these complaints and the result provides no

reassurance to Minnesotans. In fact, the report raises even more troubling questions. I look forward to

the further disclosures by Rep. Omar and her campaign.”

END