Page 4 - ARUBA TODAY

A4 U.S. NEWS
Friday 13 March 2020
Omar marries political consultant, months after affair claim

By AMY FORLITI professor at the University
Associated Press of Minnesota's Humphrey
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — U.S. School of Public Affairs,
Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minne- said the work needs to be
sota has married a political reasonable and there has
consultant who worked for to be actual work being
her, months after the two done. Jacobs said constitu-
were accused of having an ents may question the way
affair, which she denied. Omar handled the situa-
A marriage license filed in tion.
Washington, D.C., shows "Remember the story be-
Omar married political gan with her denying a re-
consultant Tim Mynett on lationship, and now she's
Wednesday. Omar an- marrying that person," Ja-
nounced her new mar- cobs said. "I think there
riage Wednesday night on are legitimate questions
Instagram, with a photo of that constituents might ask
her and a bearded man about whether Congress-
smiling and displaying wed- woman Omar has been ful-
ding rings. "Got married! ly truthful in her discussion
From partners in politics to of this relationship, and the
life partners, so blessed," nature of her marriage to a
the post says, without iden- previous husband," whom
tifying Mynett by name. Omar divorced last fall.
Filings with the Federal A relationship between
Election Commission show Omar and Mynett was
Omar's campaign paid Tim publicly alleged in August,
Mynett or his firm nearly when Mynett's then-wife,
$600,000 since July 2018. Beth Mynett, filed for di-
Though it may raise eye- vorce and accused her In this Feb. 29, 2020 file photo, Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., speaks at a rally in Springfield, Mass
brows, family members, in- husband and Omar of hav- Associated Press
cluding spouses, can be on ing an affair. In response,
the campaign payroll as Tim Mynett filed his own to be with the congress- husband or dating some- is the firm's top client, and
long as the family member court document denying woman. one, she told WCCO-TV, they are now family, is no-
provides services at a fair that he told his wife he was When Omar was asked at "No, I am not." She has table.
market value. in love with Omar and that the time whether she was since declined to discuss "I think it begs some ques-
Larry Jacobs, a politics he was ending his marriage separated from her then- her personal life. tions, which might be easily
In October, she filed for di- explained," she said. "Since
vorce from Ahmed Hirsi, cit- there isn't a prohibition on
ing an "irretrievable break- paying family members, it
down" in the marriage. That usually comes down to un-
divorce was finalized in No- derstanding the patterns
vember. and PACs and whether
According to Beth Mynett's that's a concern to the
divorce filing, Tim Mynett is constituents and donors."
a founder of E Street Group According to FEC filings,
and met Omar while work- Omar's campaign paid
ing for her. His LinkedIn Mynett or his firm for ser-
page says he is still a part- vices including fundraising
ner at the firm. consulting, internet adver-
A message left with the tising, website develop-
company to confirm his ment and digital communi-
employment and deter- cations. Several payments
mine whether he is still were also for travel expens-
working directly for Omar es.
was not immediately re- A message left with the Of-
turned. A spokesman for fice of Congressional Eth-
Omar also did not imme- ics was not immediately
diately return a message returned Thursday, and it's
seeking to confirm whether not clear if it is investigat-
Mynett still works for her. ing.
Data on OpenSecrets.org Omar has been dogged
shows the Omar campaign by questions about her
has been E Street Group's personal life since she first
biggest moneymaker, ran for state representative
bringing in more than in 2016, with conservatives
$523,000 in the 2020 elec- alleging she was married
tion cycle alone. to Hirsi and another man at
Sheila Krumholz, executive once, and that the other
director of the Center for man was her brother. She
Responsive Politics, said the has called those claims
fact that Omar's campaign "disgusting lies."q