Veteran businessman and Forbes Media Chairman Steve Forbes is not exactly known for mincing words, and during a recent Fox Business appearance, he made that abundantly clear when discussing the suddenly explosive wealth of Rep. Ilhan Omar. What started as a discussion of financial disclosures quickly turned into a blunt indictment of how a member of Congress goes from having less than a thousand dollars in net worth to sitting atop assets valued as high as $30 million in roughly a year.
Forbes did not bother with polite euphemisms. “Weird is not the word for it. There’s another word for it called crooked,” he said, calling for an investigation into Omar’s finances and the business ventures tied to her husband, Tim Mynett. According to Omar’s disclosures, much of the household’s newfound wealth is linked to Mynett’s investment firm, Rose Lake Capital, and a California winery valued at millions. That alone would raise eyebrows. What really set Forbes off was the apparent lack of evidence that this winery even functions as a winery.
“That winery in California that she and her husband own, where did that come from? Where’s the wine there? And nobody can seem to find it,” Forbes said. He went even further, stating, “I’ll make a speculation and prediction, that $30 million came from sources that are illegal, period.” Those are not the words of a partisan Twitter troll. They are the words of a seasoned financial mind who has seen more than a few balance sheets in his lifetime.
Forbes also mocked the now familiar phenomenon of politicians discovering miraculous financial genius the moment they enter public office. “It’s amazing how people can go into Congress and then become these entrepreneurial investing geniuses,” he said, pointing out that neither Omar nor Mynett appeared particularly wealthy before her rise in politics. The timing alone invites scrutiny, especially when the valuations skyrocket so quickly and with so little public transparency.
Omar has denied any wrongdoing, insisting that the disclosures reflect broad valuation ranges required by law and accusing critics of twisting the numbers for political reasons. She claims she has not been contacted by investigators and that everything was properly reported. That defense has not stopped House Republicans from launching oversight inquiries, nor has it stopped President Trump from suggesting that federal authorities are examining the situation.
House Oversight Chairman James Comer summed it up by saying answers will come through either the Ethics Committee or the Oversight Committee. That is Washington speak for, this story is not going away.
For a lawmaker who built her public image on moral lectures about power and corruption, Omar now finds herself on the receiving end of uncomfortable questions. When a congressional salary somehow coincides with a leap to tens of millions in reported wealth, skepticism is not extremism. It is common sense. And judging by Steve Forbes’ tone, patience for hand waving explanations is wearing thin fast.
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