Ilhan Omar defends MEALS Act despite ties to massive Minnesota fraud scheme

"Do you regret pushing for that bill, the MEALS Act? Do you think it led to the fraud?" Nicholas Ballasy for Fox News Digital asked Omar on Capitol Hill.

"Absolutely not, it did help feed kids," Omar said.

Minnesota has faced scrutiny for alleged mismanagement of federal funds accessed through these waivers, including in distributing money for the "Feeding Our Future" program, which authorities believe to be the largest fraud scheme in the history of the pandemic. 

"It's not surprising that the president has chosen to broadly target an entire community," Walz said of Trump's efforts, adding, "This is what he does to change the subject." 

Conspirators falsely claimed to have served millions of meals during the pandemic, but instead used the money for personal gain. They also are accused of fabricating invoices, submitting fake attendance records and falsely distributing thousands of meals from hundreds of so-called food distribution "sites" across the state.

Some of the individuals are part of Minnesota's Somali diaspora, which is the largest in the U.S., though the ringleader of the scheme is not.

Charging documents show that roughly 300 "food sites" in the state served little or no food, with the so-called "food vendors" and organizations fabricated to launder money intended to reimburse the cost of feeding children.

They added that the investigation into the fraud remains ongoing, and that additional charges are expected, though they did not immediately share more details.

"The egregious fraud unveiled in the Feeding our Future case epitomizes a profound betrayal of public trust," Patel told Fox News Digital earlier this year. 

"These individuals misappropriated hundreds of millions in federal funds intended to nourish vulnerable children during a time of crisis, redirecting those resources into luxury homes, high-end vehicles and extravagant lifestyles while families faced hardship," he added.

Trump suggested earlier this month that Omar, who fled Somalia as a child, "shouldn't be allowed to be a congresswoman," prompting fierce backlash from some Democrats and from Minnesota's congressional delegation. 

Omar, for her part, said Trump's remarks were "vile." 

"His obsession with me is creepy," she said on social media. "I hope he gets the help he desperately needs."

"Congresswoman, the ICE director is saying now that your son was not pulled over by ICE. He's saying there's no evidence," Ballasy said to Omar on Capitol Hill.

Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons pushed back on the assertion on Tuesday, telling Fox News Digital the incident never happened.

"How do they know that?" Omar countered. "How do they know that? Is he saying he has documentations of all the people they pulled over? Because we've been asking for that information. We haven't gotten it from them, so if ICE is confirming now that they collect data and refusing to provide it to members of Congress, then that's an interesting admission."

"ICE has absolutely zero record of its officers or agents pulling over Congresswoman Omar's son," Lyons said.

"It speaks volumes that Congresswoman Omar is leveling this accusation with absolutely zero proof."

Lyons called Omar's comments to the local outlet a "ridiculous effort" to demonize federal law enforcement. He also said her rhetoric contributes to a spike in threats against ICE personnel, citing a 1,150% increase in assaults and an 8,000% increase in death threats.

When asked to respond to Lyons' comment, Omar told Ballasy, "Well, their crackdown has terrorized my community, so they need to stop."