A California winery co-owned by Congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s (D-MN) husband Tim Mynett has shut down following inquiries into Omar’s finances.
The closing of the Santa Rosa winery, effective April 4, follows intense scrutiny of Congresswoman Omar’s financial reporting by members of the House and President Donald Trump.
Congressman James Comer (R-KY), chair of the House Oversight Committee, sent a letter to Mynett in early February after a review of Omar’s recent financial disclosure paperwork revealed a red flag.
Omar’s initial 2024 financial disclosure placed her joint asset value between $6 million and $30 million, a significant leap from her 2023 form.
“Financial disclosure forms, filed by your wife Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, show eStCru LLC and Rose Lake Capital LLC, which you hold ownership stakes in, went from being worth as much as $51,000 in 2023 to as much as $30 million in 2024,” the letter stated.
Comer noted that there was concern that because the companies associated with the winery don’t disclose their investors, the increase in disclosed worth might be linked to individuals attempting to “gain influence” with Congresswoman Omar.
Additionally, Comer wrote: “Media reports further suggest that you may have raised money from investors using misleading information, meaning some of those funds may have been obtained improperly.”
President Trump even commented, sending out a Truth Social post in late January announcing that the Department of Justice would be looking into Omar’s finances, though no investigation has been publicly announced by the DOJ.
Omar revised her disclosure forms in March, claiming that her joint assets with Mynett stood at under $100,000, and that she held at least $15,000 in student loan debt. A spokesperson for Omar blamed accounting errors for the discrepancy.
This financial scrutiny comes at the same time as Omar is being questioned about her potential relationship with individuals involved in the Feeding Our Future scandal, “a $250 million fraud scheme that exploited a federally-funded child nutrition program,” according to the Justice Department.
Minnesota lawmakers have asked that Omar turn over any documents and communications between herself and the owners of the restaurant at the heart of the scandal. They have given her a May 5 deadline.
The congresswoman didn’t appear at a recent hearing before the state oversight committee, according to Republican state Rep. and committee chair Kristin Robbins.
“The fact that she ghosted us — she would not even respond to multiple inquiries to a state legislature where she used to serve. I think it shows disdain for Minnesota taxpayers that she’s unwilling to even answer these questions,” said Robbins.
