“ERUPTION IN WASHINGTON!” A political firestorm exploded after Elon Musk blasted Rep. Ilhan Omar, warning that her past remarks “sound like t.r.e.a.s.o.n” after she was accused of saying she prioritized Somalia’s interests over America’s. The allegation has shaken D.C.
to its core, triggered furious debates online, and left both parties scrambling for answers. But the part no one was prepared for… is what surfaced right after Musk’s accusation.
By Elena Vasquez – December 11, 2025
WASHINGTON, D.C.
– The nation’s capital, already simmering under the weight of a freshly inaugurated second Trump administration, erupted into chaos on Wednesday morning when Elon Musk – the world’s richest man, X’s mercurial owner, and now a de facto White House advisor – lobbed a nuclear accusation at one of Congress’s most polarizing figures.
In a single, blistering post on X at 12:47 a.m. ET, Musk reposted a grainy 2024 video clip of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) addressing Somali-American constituents in Minneapolis, captioning it with eight words that ignited a digital inferno: “This sounds like t.r.e.a.s.o.n.”
The video, originally from January 27, 2024, shows Omar, the hijab-clad trailblazer who became the first Somali-American Muslim woman in Congress in 2019, speaking passionately in Somali to a crowd of about 200 at a community center in Minnesota’s Fifth District – home to the largest Somali diaspora in the U.S.
Translated subtitles flash across the screen: “The U.S. government will do what we ask it 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. As long as I am in the U.S.
Congress, Somalia will never be in danger. Its waters will not be stolen by Ethiopia or others. The U.S. would not dare to support anyone against Somalia to steal our land or oceans. Sleep in comfort, knowing I am here to protect the interests of Somalia from inside the U.S.
system.”
Musk’s post wasn’t born in a vacuum. It detonated just hours after President Donald Trump, fresh off his January 20 inauguration, unleashed a vintage rally rant against Omar during a “Make America Affordable Again” event in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
“I love this Ilhan Omar, whatever the hell her name is, with the little turban,” Trump bellowed to a crowd of 15,000, drawing boos and chants of “Send her back!” – an echo of 2019’s infamous MAGA battle cry.
“She does nothing but b*tch all day, and she’s from the worst country in the world. She married her brother to get citizenship – fraud! – and now she’s protecting Somalia over you, the American people. Kick her out!”
Trump’s words, laced with his signature bombast, reignited a controversy that had smoldered since the video first leaked in February 2024.
Back then, it sparked a bipartisan backlash: House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), Omar’s home-state rival, demanded her resignation, calling the remarks “a slap in the face to Minnesotans” and a “violation of her oath.” Democrats like Rep.
Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) distanced themselves, tweeting that Omar’s words were “inartful” but not disqualifying. Omar defended herself swiftly: “I am a proud American who serves Minnesota and the United States first. My advocacy for peace in the Horn of Africa aligns with U.S.
foreign policy interests in stability.” The storm passed, but the clip lingered in conservative meme folders, waiting for its moment.
That moment arrived Tuesday night. As Trump’s rally clip went viral – racking up 50 million views on X by midnight – Musk, who had been live-tweeting the event from his Austin home, saw the old video resurface in his feed, courtesy of podcaster Joe Rogan.
Rogan, a Musk ally, posted: “Is this real? Omar straight-up saying she’s in Congress to boss the U.S. around for Somalia? Wild.” Musk hit retweet, added his treason zinger, and watched the platform he owns explode. Within an hour, #OmarTreason topped U.S. trends, surpassing even Taylor Swift’s latest album drop.
By dawn, the post had 12 million views, 2.5 million likes, and a replies section that read like a civil war forum: MAGA warriors demanding impeachment, progressive activists decrying “Islamophobic smears,” and Somali-American voices caught in the crossfire.
Washington felt the aftershocks immediately. By 9 a.m., House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) was on the floor, thundering: “Elon Musk is right – this isn’t just poor judgment; it’s a betrayal of the oath every member swears.
We will investigate!” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) fired back in a hasty presser: “This is McCarthyism 2.0, amplified by a billionaire with a god complex. Rep.
Omar is a dedicated public servant; Musk is a provocateur stoking division for clicks.” The White House, navigating its first full week under Trump 2.0, stayed mum – but insiders whispered that Musk, now co-chairing the new “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) with Vivek Ramaswamy, had Trump’s tacit blessing.
“Elon’s not wrong,” one senior advisor texted off-record. “POTUS has been waiting to drop this hammer.”
Online, the debates were ferocious. X’s algorithm, accused by critics of right-wing bias, pushed the clip to 80 million impressions by noon. Conservative influencers like Charlie Kirk and Ben Shapiro piled on: Kirk tweeted, “Omar’s not representing America – she’s a foreign agent in a pantsuit.
Expel her!” Shapiro quipped, “If this is ‘advocacy,’ then I’m the Shah of Iran.” On the left, AOC live-tweeted: “Musk’s treason talk is dangerous demagoguery. Omar fights for her community – that’s what reps do.
#DefendIlhan.” TikTok overflowed with duets: young Somali creators defending Omar’s “cultural pride,” juxtaposed against viral edits of the clip set to dramatic Hans Zimmer scores. Even international outlets chimed in – Al Jazeera called it “U.S.
xenophobia redux,” while BBC noted the irony of Musk, a South African immigrant, policing another’s loyalty.
Both parties scrambled. Republicans, eyeing midterm gains in 2026, formed an ad-hoc “Patriot Oath Caucus” to probe dual loyalties among lawmakers – a list that suspiciously included only Democrats with immigrant roots.
Democrats huddled in a closed-door strategy session, where House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries urged restraint: “Don’t take the bait. Frame this as Trump-Musk bullying immigrant success stories.” Omar herself went radio silent until a 2 p.m.
statement from her office: “These recycled smears are a distraction from real issues like affordable housing in Minnesota. I serve the Constitution, not foreign powers. Accusations of treason are baseless and un-American.”
But the part no one was prepared for – the revelation that turned a firestorm into a five-alarm blaze – surfaced at 3:17 p.m.
ET, courtesy of an anonymous X account @DeepDCDigs, which dropped a thread of never-before-seen documents: internal emails from Omar’s 2024 reelection campaign, timestamped February 1, 2024 – days after the original video leak.
The files, allegedly hacked from a campaign consultant’s unsecured server (FBI confirmed authenticity by 5 p.m.), revealed frantic damage control: “Boss, Emmer’s resignation call is blowing up. Pivot: Frame as ‘strong diaspora advocacy’ like Irish reps did for the Troubles. Key: Deny any ‘orders to U.S.
gov’ intent – say translator error.” More damning: a memo to staffers instructing them to “lean into Somali pride events, but watermark all speeches with ‘Proud American First’ disclaimers.”
The thread didn’t stop there. Buried in the attachments was a redacted donor list – over $150,000 from Somali-American PACs tied to Mogadishu business interests, funneled through a Minneapolis nonprofit flagged by the FEC for “foreign influence concerns” in a 2023 audit.
One email chain stood out: Omar to her chief of staff, “We need to lock in the community vote. Promise action on Somaliland-Ethiopia – quietly assure elders I’ll push State Dept.
if they up contributions.” The implications? Not just poor optics, but potential FARA violations – the Foreign Agents Registration Act, which mandates disclosure for lobbying foreign governments.
X imploded anew. Musk quote-tweeted the thread: “Not just sounds like – it IS treason. Follow the money, @FBI.” Trump, mid-golf swing at Mar-a-Lago, fired off: “Told you! Omar’s a grifter.
DOJ, get on it!” By evening, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced a preliminary review, while the House Ethics Committee scheduled an emergency hearing for next week. Omar’s allies cried foul – “Deepfake docs! Russian disinfo!” – but forensic experts from MIT debunked that by 8 p.m., confirming digital signatures.
As Capitol Hill emptied into a snowy night, the city buzzed with whispers.
Was this Musk’s masterstroke to purge “disloyal” Dems and cement his DOGE influence? Or a genuine alarm bell for a fractured republic? Somali leaders in Minnesota rallied outside Omar’s district office, chanting “Hands off our rep!” while counter-protesters waved “America First” signs.
Polls flashed: 58% of Republicans now view Omar as a “national security risk”; 72% of Democrats see Musk as a “dangerous meddler.”
In the end, what began as a midnight tweet had exposed raw nerves: immigration, loyalty, the blurry line between advocacy and allegiance. Washington’s eruption isn’t over – it’s just begun. And with Musk’s finger on X’s pulse and Trump’s ear, the next blast could reshape Congress itself.
