NEW YORK — Al Arabiya English reports that U.S. Congresswoman Ilhan Omar was recruited by a foreign government, passed sensitive information that was then relayed to Iran, and received funding from a foreign government, according to a sworn deposition made by a Canadian businessman in a Florida court.
In video link testimony from Toronto, Canada to a Florida District Court on October 23, Kuwaiti-born Alan Bender claims to have ties with governments and royal officials across the Middle East including Qatar. Bender claims to have been asked by Qatar’s Secretary to the Emir for Security Affairs Mohammad bin Ahmed bin Abdullah al-Masnad and two other senior Qatari officials to recruit American politicians and journalists to be Qatari assets. He says he objected but the Qatari officials responded by saying that several American politicians and journalists were already on the payroll—most prominently Omar, who was allegedly described as the “jewel of the crown”, according to the deposition.
The three allegedly claimed credit for Omar’s meteoric rise, saying: “If it wasn’t for our cash, Ilhan Omar would be just another black Somali refugee in America collecting welfare and serving tables on weekends,” according to Bender’s sworn deposition. The deposition was obtained by Al Arabiya English and authenticated by the attorney for the plaintiffs.
Omar also reportedly met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a key supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood, when she was a junior state representative in Minnesota in 2017. According to Bender, Omar met Erdogan and allegedly swore allegiance to him.
Bender claims that once Omar took office, she used her position in the House of Representatives to access sensitive information which she relayed to Qatar, and through them to Iran.
According to Bender’s deposition, Omar’s role in the Qatari influence campaign is crucial. She actively recruited other politicians on behalf of Qatar, he said in the deposition. The Qataris claimed that “the best thing money can buy are American officials because they are the cheapest of the cheapest costing officials in the world,” according to his sworn testimony.
Omar has already been negatively spotlighted for breaking campaign finance rules, as well as for alleged immigration fraud regarding a fake marriage she arranged with her brother to enable him to immigrate. Ilhan has also been named in a divorce case, as Washington D.C physician Beth Wynett charged that Ilhan had been romantically involved with her husband Tim, a campaign consultant who Ilhan had employed.
Bender’s accusations however go much further. According to his testimony, Al-Masnad said that Qatar “recruited Ilhan Omar from even way before she thought about becoming a government official.… They groomed her and arranged the foundation, the grounds, for her to get into politics way before she even showed interest. They convinced her.” For her part, Omar cooperated with the Qataris and received cash payments, he alleges in the deposition.
As reported by Vos Iz Neias