Winery Ilhan Omar's husband fraud shutdown claimed by James Comer

A California winery partly owned by the spouse of Rep. Ilhan Omar has closed its doors following allegations of fraud, according to House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky. Comer said over the weekend that the business had been peddling empty barrels to investors while presenting them as "wine to be aged." The Kentucky Republican told Trey Gowdy on Fox News' "Sunday Night in America" that his preliminary review of Omar and her financial disclosure form had uncovered several grounds for a search warrant. "I can tell you from our initial investigation of Omar and her financial disclosure form that there are multiple fronts where you could get a search warrant issued," Comer said. "First of all, not only was there a huge discrepancy in the financial disclosure form, there was the winery that was the big base of her $25 million listing on her financial disclosure form. That winery has, according to the press, been shut down because of fraud." The winery, co-owned by the congresswoman's husband, Tim Mynett, closed in April amid congressional scrutiny of Omar's finances.

Federal Probe Into Citizenship Claims

While the winery disclosure is not fresh, it is among several details that have reemerged in recent days as federal authorities examine Omar's citizenship status. Earlier this month, federal law enforcement carried out a search warrant at her Washington, D.C., residence. The operation stemmed from allegations that she and her father misrepresented the congresswoman's age to make it easier to secure American citizenship. Critics such as House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., have said the progressive Democrat should be deported if the allegations are substantiated. Omar and her supporters have rejected any wrongdoing and characterized the investigation as a partisan attack on one of President Donald Trump's most outspoken opponents.

Earlier Scrutiny of Finances

This is hardly the first time Omar has confronted accusations of impropriety during her time in Congress. The House Oversight Committee previously examined her finances after her public disclosures revealed a swift and then-unexplained rise in her net worth. Omar attributed the discrepancy to an accidental accounting error. Comer focused on the winery in a February letter sent just weeks before the business folded. He wrote to Mynett that Omar's 2023 financial disclosure forms "lists a stake in your winery eStCru worth between $15,001 and $50,000." The next year, her form listed a stake in eStCru "worth between $1,000,001 and $5,000,000." "There are serious public concerns about how your businesses increased so dramatically in value only a year after reporting very limited assets," the letter said. Omar told The Wall Street Journal in mid-April that she and her husband have less than $100,000 combined. The winery, eStCru, was based in California and was founded in 2020 by Mynett and a business partner. The industry outlet Wine Business named it one of its "Hot Brands of 2022." When asked about the probe, a spokesperson for the House Oversight Committee noted to Fox News Digital that Comer had referred the matter of Omar's finances to the House Ethics Committee for review. "Regarding the investigation into her spouse, the House Oversight Committee referred the matter months ago to the House Ethics Committee and encouraged it to do its job and review the concerning allegations," the spokesperson said. The bipartisan panel is responsible for investigating accusations of impropriety by lawmakers and recommending punishments if those probes uncover wrongdoing. It has not yet taken up Omar's case.