WASHINGTON — The Republican chairman of the House Oversight Committee has requested records from companies partially owned by the husband of Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, an unusual step that places the spouse of a sitting lawmaker under congressional scrutiny.
Rep. James Comer of Kentucky sent a letter Friday to Timothy Mynett, a former Democratic political consultant married to Omar, seeking documents related to two firms — the eStCru winery and investment firm Rose Lake Capital. Comer cited Omar’s 2024 financial disclosure, which showed the companies’ reported value rose sharply between 2023 and 2024.
In the letter, Comer said there were “serious public concerns” about how the businesses increased so dramatically in value within a year. Financial disclosures require lawmakers to report asset values within broad ranges, making the exact increase and Mynett’s ownership stake unclear.
The move is notable because allegations involving lawmakers or their family members are typically handled by the bipartisan House Ethics Committee, not the Oversight panel. Comer’s action reflects his broader approach to aggressively expanding the committee’s investigative scope, including recent efforts to compel testimony from former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in a separate probe.
There is no public evidence of wrongdoing by Omar or her husband. Omar has previously dismissed repeated attacks on her finances as misleading and rooted in conspiracy theories. Her office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The scrutiny follows remarks last month by President Donald Trump, who said the Justice Department was looking into Omar’s finances. Omar responded online that years of investigations had “found nothing,” accusing the president of panicking amid political pressure.
In her disclosure, Omar noted that Mynett reported modest income from the winery — between $5,000 and $15,000 — and no income from Rose Lake Capital during the reporting period.
