The Post & Email
The following report was sent by email and U.S. Postal Service last week to Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Civil Division Brett A. Shumate in response to a memo he issued shortly after his swearing-in on July 11, 2025.
His bio reads:
Brett A. Shumate was sworn in as the Civil Division’s 36th Assistant Attorney General on June 11, 2025. He previously served in the Civil Division from 2017 to 2019 as the Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Federal Programs Branch. Prior to rejoining the Department, Mr. Shumate was a partner at Jones Day in Washington, D.C.
Mr. Shumate clerked for Judge Edith H. Jones on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. He graduated from Wake Forest University School of Law and Furman University.
July 11, 2025
Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate
Office of the Assistant Attorney General
U.S. Department of Justice
Civil Division
950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20530-0001
Dear AAG Shumate:
One month ago, you issued a memorandum to “All Civil Division Employees” outlining five priorities to be pursued under your leadership.
As to the final list item, the memo states “denaturalization” can be sought in the event “an individual either ‘illegally procured’ naturalization or procured naturalization by ‘concealment of a material fact or by willful misrepresentation.’ 8 U.S.C. § 1451(a).”
As you outlined it, denaturalization against an individual could be initiated as a result of “financial fraud against the United States,” unreported “felonies,” national security concerns, etc., or “Any other cases referred to the Civil Division that the Division determines to be sufficiently important to pursue.”
Rep. Ilhan Omar
Article I, Section 2, Clause 2 of the U.S. Constitution states: “No Person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the Age of twenty five Years, and been seven Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen.”
This letter concerns allegations made against Rep. Ilhan Omar appearing to have originated in 2009 or perhaps earlier, arguably the most serious of which is that as a sitting member of Congress and former Minnesota state representative, she lacks U.S. citizenship.
As of this writing, the Minnesota Secretary of State website does not include a citizenship requirement to seek election to the state legislature.
Pertinent Background
Minnesota House of Representatives
In November 2016, Omar was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives from District 60B, taking office in January 2017. She served one term before going on to successfully run for the U.S. House from Minnesota’s Congressional District 5.
On July 19, 2018, Minnesota State Representative Steve Drazkowski filed the first of two ethics complaints with the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board alleging Omar misused campaign funds in 2016 and 2017. Drazkowski is now a state senator.
More:
https://www.thepostemail.com/2025/07/22/will-the-doj-investigate-potential-citizenship-fraud-in-congress/
