HOPE?

Obama Unloads on Trump Over His ‘Appalling’ Conduct

The former president warns it “should outrage all Americans.”

Barack Obama has come out swinging against the Trump administration’s efforts to find a way to deport Rep. Ilhan Omar.

The administration amped up its campaign against the Minnesota congresswoman this week, with Homeland Security Investigations carrying out a dawn raid on her D.C. area home on Monday as part of an investigation into her immigration paperwork.

The 44-year-old progressive was born in Somalia and immigrated to the United States as a child after living in a Kenyan refugee camp. She became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2000, and strongly denies any wrongdoing regarding her immigration status. But President Donald Trump and his allies have repeatedly floated claims vilifying Omar and baselessly accusing her of “crooked” activities.

On Sunday morning, Trump’s predecessor issued a fiery defense of Omar.

“It is a basic principle of American democracy that the government can’t selectively target individuals simply because of their political beliefs or what they say. But that’s exactly what the Trump Administration is doing to Congresswoman Ilhan Omar of Minnesota,” Obama wrote in an X post viewed over two million times as of publication.

After defending Omar’s citizenship, Obama was uncharacteristically blunt in his criticism of Trump, saying the sole reason that the congresswoman was coming under scrutiny was her fierce criticism of the president.

“Think about that. The full weight of the federal government is being brought down on a law-abiding elected official because she has dared to criticize the president,” Obama continued. “And it’s not the first time this has happened.”

The former president referenced the Trump Justice Department’s latest unsuccessful efforts to bring charges against his political adversaries, including former FBI Director James Comey, New York Attorney General Letitia James, and members of the Federal Reserve.

“The fact that any president, or any administration, is willing to engage in such transparent efforts to intimidate someone should outrage all Americans, regardless of how they feel about Congresswoman Omar’s political views,” Obama concluded. “Because if this becomes the new normal, there’s no reason to believe it will stop with her — or that future presidents, in either party, won’t do the same.”

The White House did not immediately respond to questions regarding Obama’s statement.

Trump has long taken up arms against Omar. During his first term, immigration authorities were tasked with scrubbing Omar’s records for any signs of fraud, a search that found no wrongdoing or issues with her naturalization, former officials told the Washington Post last week.

“I think her citizenship is solid and there wasn’t any fraud there,” one former official told the Post.

Widely regarded as the most popular living president, Obama has also been a frequent target of Trump, who often appears envious of his predecessor. Though Obama initially sought to stay above the political fray after leaving office, he has gradually ramped up his criticism of Trump. He has also thrown his weight behind Democratic candidates ahead of the midterm elections, where Republicans are facing the prospect of significant losses.

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Laura EspositoBreaking News Reporter

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