Shot in the Dark

Kicking And Screaming

The Star Tribune, motivated (I’d suspect) by the very real spectre of being made to look like an in-the-bag PR flak for the DFL (perish the thought) by mushrooming coverage from out-of-town and national media, finally reports on Ilhan Omar’s alleged marital “irregularities”

New investigative documents released by a state agency have given fresh life to lingering questions about the marital history of Rep. Ilhan Omar and whether she once married a man — possibly her own brother — to skirt immigration laws.
Omar has denied the allegations in the past, dismissing them as “baseless rumors” first raised in an online Somali politics forum and championed by conservative bloggers during her 2016 campaign for the Minnesota House. But she said little then or since about Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, the former husband who swept into her life in 2009 before a 2011 separation.

“But Mitch – you ascribe this to sensitivity about the Strib’s part about its reputation?”

I do – because the Strib does:

The new documents also detail the Omar campaign’s efforts to keep the story of her marriage to Elmi out of the press, arguing that detailed coverage would legitimize the accusations and invade her privacy.

“Efforts” that have been, until now, utterly effortless.






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Mitch Berg

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25 responses to “Kicking And Screaming”

  1. jdm Avatar
    jdm

    The description “new life to lingering questions” reminds me of that line in the song “Hotel California” and how “they stab with their steely knives, but they just can’t kill the beast”.

  2. jdm Avatar
    jdm

    Stab *it*, gol’darn’it. I can never write a comment without effing something up.

  3. Greg Avatar
    Greg

    Just clear’n the way for Franken.

  4. Swiftee Pinochet Avatar
    Swiftee Pinochet

    That story is a month old. Nothing further since then.

    I have hope in Judicial Watch. They’ve had several successes against reprobates, and the have the legal and financial resources to follow through.

  5. Paddyboy Avatar
    Paddyboy

    When I first read the headline and couple of sentences, I was struck with the thought, “But Mitch, given Trump’s enormous moral errors related to marriage, fidelity and relationships, why do you care?” Then I see it’s more about immigration and efforts to cover up potential bad acts. We’ll see if in fact those allegations mean anything. What we always seem to fall into is this of you object to this about Dems, I (and others) object to the same thing (only much worse) from Repubs. For example, Trump’s tax returns have been demanded under a law which is not open to interpretation, Trump has repeatedly sought to keep that private, citing privacy, despite the legitimate interest of Congress to see if the President is for sale (a national security matter). If Rep. Omar committed a crime to get into the country, unlike you, I will say it’s wrong and it should have consequences, will you say the same about Trump? We go round and round about you being totally unwilling to hold your party and your politicians to the standards you demand of Dems. I (and many others) are willing to hold Dems to those standards. That raises the question of which set of commentators is acting in an ethical way, the ones who demand equal accountability or the ones who say “I think you have fake news, so I’m going to ignore anything I don’t like.”

    It would be easy for me to just say “Fake News” to anything you present. To say, well, it’s a far right extremist site, so go figure, but you deserve more respect than simply calling everything you do wrong because some things you say are wrong. Instead, what I’ll ask is, why do you care about THIS, this relatively smaller crime, when you don’t appear to give two licks about Trump potentially having lied repeatedly about business dealings with Putin (or his croney’s) and then whether or not that impacts his decision-making on investigating Russian hacking of our election, or Putin’s conduct in Syria or even his conduct killing journalists in Russia?

  6. Night Writer Avatar
    Night Writer

    The point here has been the StarTribune’s lack of curiosity re Omar’s behavior. If the Strib asked Trump or any public official for their tax returns, and they replied, “I paid my taxes according to my faith tradition,” I doubt the editors and reporters would respond by saying, “Oh, well then. Carry on, nothing to see here.”

  7. John Kraephammer Avatar
    John Kraephammer

    I’ll paraphrase Paddyboy: “Whatabout Trump”

    I actually think that’s somewhat an honest answer and fair point, if expressed as “you expect me to care about Omar’s immigration fraud when Republican’s don’t care about Trump’s numerous fraudlulences and immoralities.”

    But thing is, lefties try to play ‘whatabout Trump’ here and yet still maintain this obtuse denial that Omar hasnt committed immgration / benefits fraud. Thats because irrespective of what Trtump may have done there isn’t a universe in which immigration fraud doesn’t disqualify a candidate from being electable.

  8. Swiftee Pinochet Avatar
    Swiftee Pinochet

    A couple years of Trump’s tax returns were leaked by a leftist criminal in NY last year.

    Did leftist degenerates pour over it to discover sekret dealz with da Rushinz? No, they pointed and laughed. That’s all this is. Predictable, entertainment for low IQ dirtbags.

    Stick to kiddy Pr0n, Peevee, like the rest of your ilk. We’re on to you.

  9. Loren Avatar
    Loren

    I am confused. Am I supposed to believe that the IRS run by the Obama administration gave Trump a pass on following tax laws? That is the implication that some deep dark nasty is lurking in Trump’s tax returns that we will find, if only they are made public. Trump, who until 2 1/2 years ago had no government position somehow had leverage over the IRS? If that is even possible, we need to blow the whole agency up.

  10. Swiftee Pinochet Avatar
    Swiftee Pinochet

    NW. if there was anything illegal about Trump’s tax statements the IRS would have been all over it by now. This is nothing but a shiny object for leftist 1/4 wits to blather about.

    JK, there’s a decent chance Mogadishu Barbie will be investigated, and indicted; momentum is growing. If I’m not mistaken, lying on an immigration application is, by itself, grounds for stripping citizenship and deportation. It’s happened to at least one elderly Nazi; a follow up for a virulent anti-American jihadist is appropriate, IMO.

    I aver, the cartoon bubble I have of Omar stepping off a plane in Mogadishu, and taking in a whiff of her home makes me giggle like a schoolgirl.

  11. jdm Avatar
    jdm

    I find being a pessimist to be helpful when thinking about our present state of politics and so I can’t accept the notion that Ilhan the Somali will experience any consequences prattled about by Penigma v2. Which is why a statement like “If Rep. Omar committed a crime to get into the country, unlike you, I will say it’s wrong and it should have consequences”, is, to me, sanctimonious posturing.

    I’d also like to know more about this law under which Trump’s tax returns have been demanded. A law which is not open to interpretation. Sounds impressive. Tell me/us more. Please.

  12. bikebubba Avatar
    bikebubba

    Regarding Paddyboy’s conflation of Omar and Trump, while Trump’s cheating on his wives is immoral, it is not illegal. Fraudulent marriage to get a U.S. visa, however, is. So even within the limits of the tu quoque fallacy Paddyboy apparently loves to use, it doesn’t work.

    It’s an interesting trend in the “squad”, by the way. Omar has credible allegations of marriage fraud, Tlaib has credible allegations that she lied (a felony) about her residence to gain state level office, and AOC has cheated on her taxes and may be implicated in campaign finance issues. You would think, really, that the “Squad” was from Chicago or something.

  13. Mammuthus Primigenius Avatar
    Mammuthus Primigenius

    “Am I supposed to believe that the IRS run by the Obama administration gave Trump a pass on following tax laws?”
    Yep, Loren, NY state is known to have very aggressive tax enforcers, ditto the feds when it comes to millionaires. That doesn’t mean Trump has never committed tax fraud, but it means that NY State and the feds didn’t think that they could prove it to a jury. Many tax provisions are legitimately open to interpretation. Trump’s returns were signed off by lawyers.
    But the dems are hoping that if they can’t find anything criminal, they can find something embarrassing., or that can be made to be an embarrassment.
    It’s a bit like the Stormy Daniels thing. Trump has denied screwing her. He is a known germophobe. But we are supposed to believe that boy millionaire would let a hooker seduce him? Really? If Trump was the kind of guy who did that he’d have been bankrupt long ago.
    There is no evidence, either way. Why not call the money paid to Daniels “extortion money”? To the newsies, “hush money sounds sexier and it makes Trump the bad guy
    She extorted money from him. He paid to keep her quiet. Both sentences have the same meaning.

  14. John Kraephammer Avatar
    John Kraephammer

    ^ Oh come on, use your powers of learn-ned, adult discernment. DJT had an affair with Stormy Daniels – its proven. Her silence was bought off, for a time – its proven.

    What’s fair to say is the voting public will excuse this sort of thing. Its doubtful the voting public will excuse immigration fraudulence like Omar’s. That’s the difference.

  15. Prince of Darkness_666 Avatar
    Prince of Darkness_666

    So we are in agreement that paddy is just Pevee rebranded, nice to know great minds think alike Swiftee, also I swear I didnt read your post before I called him out on another thread. His writing is so unimaginative and obvious its easy to see its him. Apparently he got bored writing to no one on his blog and tried to trick us into thinking he’s someone different.

  16. Night Writer Avatar
    Night Writer

    We’ll know Paddy is Peev/Pen when he mentions talking to his neighbor, who is an immigration lawyer.

  17. Loren Avatar
    Loren

    NW was his other neighbor a nuclear physicist or a doctor, I can’t remember?

  18. Swiftee Pinochet Avatar
    Swiftee Pinochet

    I’m pretty sure teh Peevee is surrounded by prominent lawyers, Nobel laureates, astronauts, Navy SEALS, ex-Presidents and captains of industry. They drop by, as needed to confer with him on the pressing leftist talking point of the day.

    Peevee lives at the corner of Pathological Liar Ave and Dr’s. David Dunning and Justin Kruger Memorial Drive in Utopia.

  19. Paddyboy Avatar
    Paddyboy

    Mitch,

    Only slightly tangential, since we seem to want to make an issue of a Somali immigrant lying about their marital status to be allowed to emigrate (something which has happened doubtless countless times) – I certainly cannot understand how the focus on this vs. say, being concerned that the President is taking bribes, would be perceived as racially tinged.. nope, can’t get it at all, since the right isn’t the segment of the electorate is racist.

    Oh, wait…

    From the Nixon Library’s head.. (as reported in various sites) – this is from CNN.com.
    .
    “Tim Naftali, who directed the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum from 2007 to 2011, writes that Reagan — who would later become the 40th President of the United States — called Nixon in October 1971, the day after the United Nations had voted to recognize the People’s Republic of China. In the call, he says, Reagan is heard apparently referencing the way the Tanzanian delegation started dancing in the General Assembly when the UN took the vote to seat the delegation from Beijing instead of Taiwan.

    Reagan, Naftali writes, is heard saying to Nixon, “Last night, I tell you, to watch that thing on television as I did.”

    Nixon interjected: “Yeah.”

    Reagan continued, “To see those, those monkeys from those African countries — damn them, they’re still uncomfortable wearing shoes!”

    Ooo- hero Gipper made racist comments and may well have been a racist? Shock! Shock! (not really).

    Mitch, the issue you face is your objection appears to be one based on this woman’s origin because it dove tails with the President’s focus on “s-hole” countries and that it is about something which, even if true, is focusing on mites, rather than significant issues. it smacks of race-baiting even though I don’t think you intend it personally (though I do suspect you know it may appeal to the baser instincts of some of your readers). The long and short is, focusing on whether Ilhan Omar may have married her brother (something which us white-folk may look at and say “that couldn’t have happened in Estonia!” – btw, that’s false) rather than simply saying she may have married someone under false pretense – gives the appearance of race-baiting. Given the voluminous examples of dozens of racist comments by members of the GOP (just in the past 10 years, Reagan’s apparently illuminating comment notwithstanding), I suggest you move on. If you don’t care about whether the Pres is for sale, I have a hard time thinking you REALLY care about whether Omar lied on her immigration form/in the process. If you REALLY do, why are you not up in arms about the alleged lies Meliania Trump made in her process?

  20. jdm Avatar
    jdm

    There it is. So much for “I will say it’s wrong and it should have consequences” to gaslighting and “look! squirrel!”. Even includes a reference to move on.

  21. bikebubba Avatar
    bikebubba

    Huh, Paddyboy, why is it that CNN concentrates on an alleged instance of Reagan saying racist things 48 years ago, and ignores the far greater volume of racist sentiment out of Lyndon Johnson? Hmmm….could it have something to do with the fact that their “reporter” falsely alleges that Trump’s comments to the “squad” are racist?

    For that matter, I remember it being pointed out throughout the 1980s and 1990s that continued endorsement of affirmative action quotas amounted to an argument, BY THE LEFT, that minorities were not capable enough to earn it on their own.

    You want verifiable bias? Look left.

  22. Swiftee Pinochet Avatar
    Swiftee Pinochet

    a Somali immigrant lying about their marital status to be allowed to emigrate (something which has happened doubtless countless times)

    Well guess what you pencil dicked, 1/4 wit? It’s happened once too often; one of those miserable ingrates has to be the first to be repatriated to the garbage dump that spawned them. And I can’t think of a more worthy trailblazer than Mogadishu Barbie.

    Nixon and Reagan wiould be smoking cigars and laughing their asses off if they were alive. They can’t so I’ll do it for them.

  23. Prince of Darkness_666 Avatar
    Prince of Darkness_666

    If there was any doubt that paddyboy was peeve, that last post by him removed any shred.

  24. Prince of Darkness_666 Avatar
    Prince of Darkness_666

    Lyndon Johnson after signing the civil rights bill: “Ill have those n****** voting democrat for 200 years.”

    and from a snopes article that says that quote is unproven (shocking I know)…

    There’s no question that Lyndon Johnson, despite championing the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 and signing it into law, was also a sometime racist and notorious vulgarian who rarely shied away from using the N-word in private. For example, he reportedly referred to the Civil Rights Act of 1957 as the “n*gger bill” in more than one private phone conversation with Senate colleagues. And he reportedly said upon appointing African-American judge Thurgood Marshall to the Supreme Court, “Son, when I appoint a nigger to the court, I want everyone to know he’s a nigger.”

    According to historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, he also uttered this cynical-sounding statement, which sometimes circulates in tandem with the “voting Democratic” remark:

  25. Prince of Darkness_666 Avatar
    Prince of Darkness_666

    whoops forgot to censor one N word, my bad

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