Minnesota's billion-dollar fraud scandal keeps getting worse.
The Democrat Party thought they could sweep the connections under the rug.
And Ilhan Omar turned white as a ghost after this terrorism connection was exposed.
Joni Ernst and Mike Lee demand DOJ probe Generation Hope MN over ISIS ties
Republican Senators Joni Ernst and Mike Lee just dropped a bombshell letter on Attorney General Pam Bondi's desk.
They're demanding an immediate investigation into Generation Hope MN, a Somali nonprofit that Ilhan Omar tried to funnel $1 million in taxpayer money to.
The organization supposedly provides addiction recovery services to Minneapolis' East African community.
But the senators discovered something that should alarm every American.
The nonprofit operates out of space above a Somali restaurant, and its three directors all claim the same five-bedroom Minneapolis house as their home address on IRS paperwork.
And the founder's older brother was arrested in 2015 for trying to join ISIS.
"Based on publicly available records and Internal Revenue Service filings, Generation Hope, MN exhibits a troubling pattern of red flags around its legitimacy, operational capacity, and financial stewardship," the senators wrote.
Omar, along with Minnesota Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, tried to earmark the $1 million in Justice Department funding for this outfit.
The House yanked the money after Ernst and Lee exposed what was really going on.
Ilhan Omar's $1 million earmark tied to nonprofit founder whose brother joined ISIS
Here's where this story gets absolutely terrifying.
Generation Hope MN founder Abdirahman Warsame's older brother, Abdirizak Mohamed Warsame, was arrested in 2015 as part of a ten-man ISIS recruitment cell in Minnesota.
Abdirizak was caught preparing to travel to Syria to join ISIS terrorists.
He pleaded guilty and got a 30-month sentence with 20 years of supervised release.
During a TED talk, Abdirahman defended his brother and blamed America.
"When they were taken, people whispered about them, but it was rarely asked, 'How did it come to this? What does it mean to grow up in a country that never fully embraces you but never lets you go?'" Warsame said.
Warsame said America "never fully accepted them."
His brother and others faced "an uncertain future in a country that never fully accepted them," Warsame added.
Ernst and Lee asked a pointed question in their letter to Bondi.
"Should someone with such associations be considered worthy of taxpayer funding?"
"It is undeniable that expressing admiration for someone who sought to commit atrocities against the United States raises most serious concerns."
Generation Hope MN follows pattern in Minnesota's billion-dollar fraud scandal
The nonprofit's suspicious setup mirrors the exact fraud schemes that have stolen over $1 billion from Minnesota taxpayers.
IRS forms show the organization's directors listing a single residential property as their primary address.
The second address on the nonprofit's website matches the location of Sagal Restaurant and Coffee.
The restaurant owner claims the organization operates in office space above his establishment.
But the senators found zero evidence of "dedicated program facilities or visible service infrastructure."
The last public IRS 990 form from 2023 shows the nonprofit brought in just $51,353 in revenue.
The executive director supposedly works only 30 hours per week.
Yet the organization spent more than $12,000 on travel.
"An unusual cost for an organization whose mission is focused on serving Minneapolis' East African community," Ernst and Lee noted.
The senators connected the dots to Minnesota's massive welfare fraud schemes.
"While no identical misconduct is alleged here, Generation Hope MN's spending profile fits a fraud-risk pattern that has already cost taxpayers billions across Minnesota programs," they wrote.
Minnesota has been rocked by revelations of Covid-era welfare schemes involving money laundering through daycare centers, housing programs, and Medicaid services.
The Treasury Department is now investigating whether Minnesota tax dollars ended up funding al-Shabaab, the al-Qaeda-linked terrorist organization based in Somalia.
Omar received campaign donations from people charged in the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme that stole $250 million.
She claims she returned those donations.
But now she's caught trying to send $1 million to a nonprofit run by someone whose brother tried to join ISIS.
Ernst wasn't pulling punches about what Congress tried to do.
"It is almost too insane to believe: Congress trying to send $1 million to an 'East African' addiction center operated above a Somali Restaurant and run by three people who live in the same house, with a relative who tried to join ISIS," Ernst said.
Lee hammered the point home.
"Despite the widespread fraud, Congress planned to send $1 million to yet another Somali aid organization, Generation Hope MN," Lee stated.
"Stopping these funds is not enough: we should pursue every red flag, uncover every wrongdoing, and suspend federal eligibility for taxpayer dollars."
The senators are asking Bondi to "initiate suspension proceedings to protect ongoing federal interests pending full investigation."
They also want the Attorney General to refer "relevant matters to other DOJ components for further inquiry."
The Trump Administration has already deployed additional federal prosecutors to Minnesota to investigate the fraud schemes.
Attorney General Bondi said the DOJ "will deliver severe consequences in Minnesota" and stands "ready to deploy to any other state where similar fraud schemes are robbing American taxpayers."
Ilhan Omar's office has been silent on the Ernst-Lee letter demanding the investigation.
The nonprofit didn't respond to requests for comment either.
This scandal proves what conservatives have been saying for years.
Democrats and their allies have been using American taxpayer dollars to fund organizations with questionable ties and zero accountability.
And now they're scrambling to cover their tracks before the full extent of their recklessness comes to light.
Sources:
- Brianna Lyman, "Senators Urge DOJ To Probe ISIS-Linked Somali 'Nonprofit' After Omar Tried To Earmark $1M For It," The Federalist, January 15, 2026.
- Charles Creitz, "Sen Ernst looks to strip $1M from Minnesota group sharing restaurant address," Fox News, January 8, 2026.
- Michael Kosnar, Rebecca Shabad, and Megan Lebowitz, "DOJ sends more federal prosecutors to Minnesota to assist probes into alleged fraud," NBC News, January 7, 2026.
- "Democrats tried to send $1 million to 'East African' addiction center above a Somali restaurant with ties to ISIS, Ernst says," Blaze Media, January 15, 2026.
- Tracy Connor, "Time served for terror? ISIS sentences in Minnesota case run the gamut," NBC News, November 16, 2016.
