Minnesota lawmaker’s attorneys asked for return of seized items and the preservation of any recordings of search
Ilhan Omar’s attorneys have asked the US Department of Justice to return property that federal agents removed days earlier from her home during a search.
The lawyers for the Minnesota Democrat contended that the seizure as “neither justified nor lawful”, according to a letter that the Associated Press reported on Friday.
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© Photograph: J Scott Applewhite/AP
© Photograph: J Scott Applewhite/AP
© Photograph: J Scott Applewhite/AP
US President Donald Trump has suspended the tariffs and sanctions on the biggest buyers of Russian oil set by the Lindsey Graham Act, the law he signed himself in September. He says the move serves US national interests, according to an executive order published on the White House site.
The act required the president, within 30 days, to impose 100% tariffs on all goods from the five biggest buyers of Russian oil, to sanction a range of Russian entities and to put 500% tariffs on all Russian energy imports to the US. The deadline for those measures fell on 18 October.
Trump has used the president’s power under Section 115 of the Graham Act, which allows him to waive sanctions, restrictions, and duties by certifying to Congress in writing that doing so serves US national interests and submitting a report explaining why. The act does not, however, allow him to cancel sanctions that have already been announced.
The two capitals read the same order in opposite ways. Kirill Dmitriev, an envoy for Russian leader Vladimir Putin, called it “an important and truly historic moment” on X, claiming the sanctions had mainly harmed the US economy and world markets.
“Economic cooperation between Russia and the US serves the interests of both nations, contributes to global economic stability and lays the foundation for building trust and achieving lasting peace,” Dmitriev writes.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy answered from under fire. Russia struck Ukraine’s energy system on 17 October, and at that very moment Washington chose “to completely ignore the Lindsey Graham law, which was supposed to impose real, effective pressure on Russia to end this war,” he says.
The waiver lands amid a bipartisan revolt in Congress. Seven Republican and Democratic senators had already warned on 11 October that Trump’s move to allow Russian diesel imports had broken the law Congress passed after the full-scale invasion, urging the administration to reverse it so US money would not help finance Russia’s war.
Meanwhile, Zelenskyy argued the law can still work if Washington lets it.
“This law could, and still can, help a great deal. But the law has actually to work, and every vote for it matters,” he said, warning that the step only pushes Moscow to strike harder.
The world must not give up ground and must try to end the war, Zelenskyy added.
“To end it, and not give Putin every reason to continue it indefinitely,” he stressed, thanking everyone who “is truly fighting for peace and helping Ukraine," he stated.
The Ukrainian opposition also commented on Trump’s decision. Iryna Herashchenko, co-chair of the European Solidarity parliamentary faction, said that “the most cynical and stupid decisions are usually made by rulers on Saturday night,” when public attention is scattered, and people are preparing for the weekend.
“Rehabilitating Putin harms not only Ukraine but also the US itself, strengthens the axis of authoritarian regimes, and undermines international security,” she claimed.
President Donald Trump has suspended the implementation of sweeping American sanctions against Russia, using presidential waiver powers to prevent penalties approved by Congress from taking effect just weeks after he signed them into law.
The executive order issued by the White House on Friday, 16 October, suspends tariffs of up to 500 per cent on Russian imports, alongside penalties targeting major purchasers of Russian oil and gas. It also waives numerous financial and commercial restrictions intended to reduce Moscow’s ability to finance its war against Ukraine.
The decision comes two days before the 18 October deadline for implementing key provisions of the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, which Trump signed on 18 September. The legislation was named after the late Republican senator Lindsey Graham, who had championed tougher economic measures against Russia.
The presidential order formally establishes the tariff increases required by the legislation while simultaneously suspending their application.
Under the law, Russian imports into the United States would face additional duties of 500 per cent. A separate provision would impose 100 per cent tariffs on goods imported from the five largest purchasers of Russian crude oil and natural gas if those countries knowingly made new purchases from 18 October, subject to specified conditions and exemptions.
Another provision targets countries identified as leading facilitators of Russian oil sanctions evasion, potentially exposing their exports to similar American penalties.
Trump invoked Section 115 of the legislation, which permits the president to waive sanctions and tariffs after certifying to Congress that doing so serves the national interests of the United States.
The order confirms that the certification and an accompanying explanatory report have been submitted to Congress. However, the publicly released document provides no detailed justification for suspending the measures.
The waivers will remain in effect until the president or designated senior officials decide that further action is appropriate. Existing sanctions imposed under earlier executive orders are explicitly preserved, meaning the decision does not remove all American restrictions against Russia.
Nevertheless, the order prevents the new legislation’s principal economic penalties from operating at a time when Congress had sought to intensify pressure on Moscow.
The suspension follows Trump’s agreement with Putin to facilitate renewed Russian diesel exports, announced on 9 October as part of an effort to reduce international fuel prices.
As EU Today previously reported, the agreement envisages an immediate release of more than 300,000 tonnes of Russian diesel, followed by additional shipments in November and subsequent months. Washington also authorised certain transactions involving Russian diesel until April 2027.
The arrangement has raised questions about the relationship between the administration’s energy policy and sanctions intended to constrain Russia’s war economy.
Diesel prices have become an increasingly important domestic political issue ahead of the American congressional elections on 3 November. The war involving Iran and disruptions to international energy supplies have contributed to exceptionally high fuel costs, creating additional pressure on the administration.
The White House hopes additional Russian supplies will relieve pressure on international markets. However, energy analysts have questioned whether the quantities involved will materially affect American prices, particularly before the elections.
The latest waiver also removes the immediate threat of punitive tariffs against major Russian energy customers, including China and India, which had objected to the proposed measures.
The decision is likely to intensify opposition within Congress, where the sanctions legislation attracted substantial bipartisan support.
Earlier this week, 12 senators, including six Republicans, called on Trump to reverse his diesel agreement, arguing that allowing Russian fuel back onto international markets would provide Moscow with additional revenue for its military operations.
Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, who helped develop the sanctions legislation, criticised the diesel arrangement as contrary to Congress’s intention to strengthen economic pressure on Russia.
The decision also exposes a widening divergence between Washington and Brussels.
At the European Council meeting on Friday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa reaffirmed that EU sanctions against Russia would remain in place until Moscow ended its war against Ukraine.
Costa declared that the present circumstances required increased pressure on Moscow rather than a relaxation of existing restrictions. The European Union is also preparing a 22nd sanctions package while considering additional financial support for Kyiv.
For Ukraine, the decision means that Russia will continue to benefit from energy exports and the international trade that helps finance its war. Instead of tightening restrictions on these revenues, Washington has suspended measures specifically intended to cut them.
The timing is particularly significant. While Trump is pressing Kyiv to halt attacks on Russian oil refineries and other energy facilities, Moscow continues its strikes against Ukrainian cities and civilian infrastructure. Zelenskyy has argued that Ukraine cannot be expected to stop targeting Russia’s energy sector while Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure continue.
Although Trump can reinstate the sanctions, his decision removes the immediate threat of additional penalties against Russia and its principal energy customers. It also places Washington increasingly at odds with its European allies. Brussels remains committed to maintaining and expanding sanctions against Moscow, while the White House is now giving priority to reducing American fuel prices, even if that means easing economic pressure on Russia.
In a letter to Justice Department prosecutors Friday evening, lawyers for Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., demanded the immediate return of all property taken from her Washington home on Monday, when Homeland Security investigators executed a search warrant as part of an investigation into alleged immigration fraud and conspiracy.
That search deviated from the specific procedures mandated by the judge who approved the warrant, and may have violated Omar’s constitutional rights as a result, according to Omar’s lawyers Amy Jeffress and Joshua Matz of Hecker Fink LLP.
Their seven-page letter also demands that the Department of Justice preserve and provide to Omar’s counsel within five days any video or audio recordings taken during the search, as well as any records reflecting Homeland Security Investigations’ reported review of Omar’s immigration status in 2019.
As a member of Congress, Omar is entitled to protections under the Constitution’s Speech or Debate Clause, which provides immunity for her legislative conduct and protects certain congressional materials and communications from disclosure or use in legal proceedings.
The letter also challenges the perceived focus of the DOJ and Homeland Security’s investigation.
“There is no legitimate basis for any suggestion that she has violated any law concerning her citizenship status,” the lawyers write. “Still, recent experience teaches that the absence of a proper predicate has not stopped this Administration from pursuing politically motivated criminal investigations into President Trump’s opponents.”
The lawyers note that Omar, a frequent public critic of Trump, has been the target of criticism from Trump and members of his administration, with apparent efforts to harass and intimidate her. In particular, they cite several statements that Trump and Vice President JD Vance have made about Omar on social media over the past year. The lawyers allege those statements have contributed to serious threats of harm against Omar.
Omar’s lawyers also allege that the White House appears to be directly involved in the investigation, citing a Washington Post report that Anthony Salisbury, a White House official, is a member of the investigative team.
“This vindictive, retributive, and politically motivated criminal investigation into one of the President’s chief congressional critics violates Representative Omar’s constitutional rights and threatens the separation of powers,” they write.
The lawyers also argue that the timing of the search at Omar’s home violates DOJ policy prohibiting prosecutors from taking or refraining from investigative or prosecutorial actions to influence an election.
Omar, who was first elected to Congress in 2018, is running for re-election to the House this year.
“Historically, the Department has refrained from this type of investigative activity so close to an election, so as to avoid even the appearance of politically motivated law enforcement actions. But the political motivations behind this pre-election investigation and search are clear as day. For the reasons given above, this search was neither justified nor lawful,” the letter states.
The letter was sent to two DOJ lawyers, Michael Wheat and Alessandra “Ali” Serano, both special assistant U.S. attorneys.
A veteran prosecutor from California, Serano was appointed in June by Attorney General Todd Blanche as the national coordinator for child exploitation and human trafficking. The DOJ announced that, as part of that role, Serano would “submit a report to the Deputy Attorney General updating the Department’s strategy for combatting child exploitation and human trafficking” within 120 days. That deadline is approaching within days.
Wheat, on the other hand, has recently been involved with a DOJ effort to obtain California voter registration records from county election officials, according to public reporting. The DOJ sued the state of California for access to those records earlier this week.
In addition to pushing back on the impetus for and timing of the search, the letter also details recent reporting from The Washington Post, which, citing multiple sources, revealed that the Trump administration investigated potential issues surrounding Omar’s naturalization during Trump’s first term and closed the investigation for lack of evidence of criminal conduct.
The letter also alleges that Monday’s search may not have comported with the specific instructions by the magistrate judge who approved the warrant. Among other alleged deficiencies, the lawyers say that although the judge ordered the HSI agents executing the warrant to notify both Omar and the Office of General Counsel for the House of Representatives, the General Counsel was not notified of the search until it was already a matter of public record. The lawyers argue that the delay deprived Omar of the opportunity to seek guidance about her rights as a member of Congress.
Additionally, the lawyers allege that Omar did not receive a copy of the warrant prior to the execution of the search and that she was prevented from contacting her counsel for more than an hour after the search began. They argue that those and other alleged failures prevented her from identifying and separating materials protected by the Speech or Debate Clause.
People or entities from whom property is taken pursuant to a federal search warrant may seek the return of some or all of that property pursuant to rules governing federal criminal cases. Omar, her lawyers note, will file such a motion if the seized property — which, as MS NOW reported, includes her laptop, phone and passport — are not returned promptly.
The post Ilhan Omar demands DOJ immediately return property seized in search of her home appeared first on MS NOW.
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