Few reporters have done more to expose Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) than David Steinberg, with the possible exceptions of Preya Samsundar formerly of Alpha News and Scott Johnson of Power Line. The three of them together did most of the grunt work in uncovering Omar’s marriage controversy.
Samsundar was reporting on the topic as early as August of 2016, when Omar was running for the Minnesota House.
But according to The Star Tribune, they’re just “conservative activists” who can’t even be trusted with a screenshot.
‘Covering their tracks’
In a June 22 article, The Star Tribune took a look at the allegation in question: whether Omar “once married a man – possibly her own brother – to skirt immigration laws.” But much of the information in that article was reported by Steinberg in a series of articles he wrote for PJ Media between August and November of 2018.
“The Star Tribune ran a dishonest, cowardly piece of journalism tonight,” Steinberg said in response. “For 3 years, the paper ignored the work of reporters Preya Samsundar, Scott Johnson, and myself on Ilhan Omar’s disturbing past. Ignored our emails offering new evidence. Now, Ilhan Omar is a national disgrace. Globally, anti-Semites are emboldened. We warned them. None of this would have happened if The Star Tribune, afraid of a PC mob, had not withheld facts from local voters.”
MUST READ Ilhan Omar thread —
The @StarTribune ran a dishonest, cowardly piece of journalism tonight.
For 3 years, the paper ignored the work of reporters Preya Samsundar, Scott Johnson, and myself on @ilhanMN’s disturbing past. Ignored our emails offering new evidence. (1x)
— David Steinberg (@realDSteinberg) June 23, 2019
“Covering their tracks, tonight The Star Tribune published a piece duplicating work we already did. Our leads, our research. Did they credit us? No. We are just unnamed ‘conservative activists.’ We are not activists. We are reporters; they are frauds,” Steinberg continued.
… a piece duplicating work we already did. Our leads, our research. Did they credit us?
No. We are just unnamed “conservative activists.”
We are not activists. We are reporters; they are frauds. They owe us, MN voters, and the global Jewish community an apology. (3/x)
— David Steinberg (@realDSteinberg) June 23, 2019
In October 2018, Johnson published a number of emails that he sent to Rene Sanchez, editor and senior vice president of The Star Tribune, in which he questions the paper’s lack of reporting on Omar.
“Rene: My point is that for all practical purposes the election in the Fifth District is next Tuesday and The Star Tribune has contributed approximately nothing. You must know that,” Johnson said in one email.
In response, Sanchez said that they “intend to do more reporting on Omar’s candidacy.” The following day, October 27, the outlet published an article with a headline of: “On the edge of making history, Ilhan Omar confronts fresh wave of scrutiny.” The first five paragraphs of the article focus on a screening of a documentary about Omar, discussing a “standing ovation” she received and how she was mobbed “for selfies” after the event.
Evidence of perjury ignored
In their latest article, The Star Tribune briefly discusses the allegations of perjury against Omar, which Steinberg reported in August 2018, though they don’t actually use the word “perjury.” Instead, they suggest that “Omar may not be telling the truth.”
Omar claimed in court documents that she had no contact with her legal husband—and alleged brother—Ahmed Nur Said Elmi since 2011. Several images posted by Omar on social media, however, show her pictured with Elmi in 2014.
Here’s how The Star Tribune puts it:
“Conservative activists say photos and other social media posted by Omar and Elmi on Instagram and Facebook suggest Omar may not be telling the truth. The Star Tribune has been unable to independently obtain the original posts, although images purporting to be screen grabs continue to populate right-leaning media sites such as Power Line Blog, PJ Media, and Alpha News. They remain in public view.”
Throughout the story, The Star Tribune describes reporters who have covered Omar as “conservative bloggers,” “conservative opinion journalists,” “conservative critics,” “conservative activists,” and “conservative media websites.”
Additionally, The Star Tribune’s latest article fails to point out that Elmi and Omar’s sister, Sahra Noor, are both allegedly living in Nairobi.
The outlet notes that “social media posts indicate Elmi is in Africa,” and that Omar’s sister “runs her own health care consultancy in Kenya.”
But, as Steinberg points out, “Elmi’s posts and Noor’s company are clear about a specific location.”
“Elmi’s posts show he has lived in Nairobi, Kenya since between 12/21/18 and 1/14/19. And Noor’s company is clearly located in Nairobi, not just somewhere in ‘Kenya.’ Further, it’s provable Elmi has been working for Noor, apparently helping out with her company website,” Steinberg said on Twitter.
Elmi's posts show he has lived in Nairobi, Kenya since between 12/21/18 and 1/14/19.
And Noor’s company is clearly located in Nairobi, not just somewhere in “Kenya.”
Further, it’s provable Elmi has been working for Noor, apparently helping out with her company website. (7/x)
— David Steinberg (@realDSteinberg) June 23, 2019
As The Minnesota Sun reported Monday, Elmi appears “to have designed a website for Omar’s sister this year, according to data hidden in the source code of that website.”
Here’s what this means, according to Steinberg:
“In 2017, Ilhan Omar swore, under penalty of perjury while divorcing Elmi, that she had zero contact with him since 2011, and no clue how to find him. Just 1 year later, Elmi, having just been divorced without being served, leaves London to work for his ex-wife’s sister in Nairobi? It’s absurd. Yet The Star Tribune chose to not even report Elmi and Noor were both living in Nairobi.
Steinberg’s June 22 Twitter thread discussing the matter has quickly spread on social media, and was even retweeted by Donald Trump Jr., but Omar continues to remain silent.
“The media is applying a double standard to Rep. Omar,” State Rep. Steve Drazkowski (R-Mazeppa) said Tuesday. “If a Republican Congresswoman had been accused of all these crimes, reporters would be in an uproar.”
“Rep. Omar is a serial criminal, and our national security is at stake,” he continued. “It is time to yank her access to America’s highest levels of security access and briefings. Minnesota deserves better, and America demands more.”
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Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of Battleground State News, The Ohio Star, and The Minnesota Sun. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Background Photo “Star Tribune” by Star Tribune.
