Fast Fact: Ilhan Omar orchestrated a pay-to-vote operation paying Somali migrants for their votes, according to a 2020 investigation by Project Veritas
The undercover investigation has resurfaced as Omar’s Somali migrant community is under investigation for rampant welfare fraud, voter registration fraud and immigration fraud.
Those that are involved in the fraud allegedly donated heavily to Omar’s campaign.
The footage released features an Omar associate admitting on hidden camera that the congresswoman “came up with all this” , involving cash incentives of $200 to $800 per ballot.
While fact-checkers say the video is false, and Omar’s campaign says its disinformation, the newly discovered rampant fraud in Minnesota is bringing the video and the investigation back into the spotlight, especially now that Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has been caught on an audio recording allegedly trading protection for campaign cash.
The undercover footage shows a former co-worker of Omar saying Omar came up with paying people for votes*****
“She’s (Ilhan Omar) the one who came up with all this (pay to vote)”
“Ilhan Omar campaign staffers become precinct managers and count the votes”
“Ilhan and this group, they spent a lot of money”
“So, the people that work for Ilhan (0mar) are actually counting the ballots, counting the vote?”
“They (Ilhan Omar’s campaign staffers) become a manager, in the precinct too.”
“Somalians who don’t speak English are also told out how to vote”
“They walk with you to the booth and then they vote. Oh, vote this guy, vote this guy, vote this guy. Vote – even if you speak English.”
“They are on camera in this video paying people $200-$800 per vote and telling them how to fill out the ballots”
The 17-minute video, part of a two-part series, centers on Minneapolis’s Somali community, where Omar has drawn overwhelming support since her 2018 election.
Project Veritas operatives, posing as supporters, recorded conversations with people allegedly tied to Omar’s network.
One key figure, identified as a Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party affiliate, credits Omar with inventing the ballot-buying tactic during a discussion.
The associate states on camera,
“She’s [Omar] the one who came up with all this [pay-to-vote],” describing a system where campaign funds are funneled to harvesters who offer money for absentee ballots, often from non-English speakers.
Footage shows an exchange where a harvester hands over $200 in “pocket money” to a voter in return for a blank absentee ballot registration form, with promises to collect and complete it later.
The harvester reportedly adds, “We don’t care [if it’s] illegal,” while another clip depicts payments scaling up to $800 for high-volume deliveries, emphasizing, “Ilhan and this group, they spent a lot of money.”
The video alleges a conflict of interest where Omar’s paid staffers transition into precinct roles to influence outcomes.
One source explains,
“The people that work for Ilhan Omar are actually counting the ballots, counting the vote?”
The response: “They become a manager in the precinct too,” allowing them to oversee tabulation and potentially discard unfavorable votes.
Harvesters are captured admitting they escort voters – including those who don’t speak English – directly to booths, dictating selections like “vote this guy, vote this guy.”
Even English speakers receive step-by-step instructions, with one operative noting, “They walk with you to the booth and then they vote… Vote – even if you speak English.”
These revelations, if they can be proven true, point to a coordinated effort to manipulate absentee voting in Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District, where Omar routinely secures over 75% of the vote.
Omar’s campaign denounced the video as a “coordinated disinformation campaign” engineered by right-wing activists, with no evidence of her direct involvement.
Fact-checking outlets like Snopes rated the claims false, citing edited clips, uncorroborated Somali translations, and a key source – Omar Jamal, chairman of the newly formed Somali Watchdog Group.
