Fact check: What Rep. Ilhan Omar actually said in viral speech

Minnesota U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar is facing scrutiny and criticism from Republicans based on a flawed translation of a speech she made at a gathering to commemorate recent elections in Somalia.

Republicans led by U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer, also from Minnesota, have criticized an alleged translation of a speech to a room full of Somali supporters in Minneapolis last weekend, with Emmer calling it “anti-American” in a post on X. Omar said the translation accompanying a video of the speech that went viral on the social media site formerly called Twitter was “slanted” and “completely off.”

The speech was held at an event at the Hyatt Hotel in downtown Minneapolis on Jan. 27 to celebrate the recent election in the region of Somalia known as Puntland. Omar’s comments turned to a recent port deal between landlocked Ethiopia and the breakaway republic of Somaliland that’s left the entire Horn of Africa on edge.

In the wake of the port deal between the northern region of Somalia and Ethiopia, Omar said in the speech that she’s fielded calls from concerned people who want the U.S. government to intervene in hopes of nullifying the 50-year agreement.

Omar’s office pointed to a more accurate translation of her speech posted online. A Star Tribune reporter who speaks Somali listened to the speech and reviewed the transcript, and found it matched Omar’s actual comments. It said:

“My answer was the U.S. government will do what we tell the U.S. government to do. We as Somalis should have that confidence in ourselves. We live in this country. We pay taxes in this country. It’s a country where one of your own sits in Congress. As long as I’m in Congress no one will take Somalia’s sea. And the United States will not support other people to rob us. Rest assured Minnesotans. The woman you sent to Congress is aware of you and has the same interest as you.”

The translation now under dispute characterized Omar’s comments this way: “The U.S. government will only do what Somalians in the U.S. tell them to do. They will do what we want and nothing else. They must follow our orders and that is how we will safeguard the interest of Somalia ... together we will protect the interests of Somalia.”

Emmer, other Minnesota Republicans, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and other GOP leaders have called for Omar’s resignation. On Wednesday, Emmer requested an Ethics Committee investigation into her comments based on a claim made in coverage of the speech by some local and national outlets contending that Omar pledged her allegiance first to Somalia when she allegedly said she will protect their interests in Congress.

Emmer’s office did not immediately respond to a request for a copy of the ethics complaint.

Omar said in a prepared statement Tuesday that she rejects the attempt to question her character and her loyalty to America, her home.

“The attacks being lobbed against me are not only completely false, they are rooted in xenophobia and Islamophobia. This is a manufactured controversy based on an inaccurate translation taken entirely out of context,” Omar said. “I’m no stranger to these types of misinformation campaigns targeting Muslim elected officials.”

The congresswoman said she supports a unified Somalia, which aligns with longstanding U.S. policy favoring a one-Somalia approach.

The video was originally circulated by Ambassador Rhoda J Elmi, deputy minister of foreign affairs, Republic of Somaliland, on X. The ambassador was critical of Omar’s comments, calling her language divisive and unbecoming.