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The accusations first gained public attention during Omar's 2016 campaign for the Minnesota state legislature. At the time, she strongly rejected suggestions that she had married a relative, declaring, "Insinuations that Ahmed Nur Said Elmi is my brother are absurd and offensive." Omar's supporters also pointed to an August 22, 2016, letter from Andrew Luger, the Obama-appointed U.S. attorney for Minnesota, who stated, "My office is not investigating, nor have we requested an investigation into Ms. Omar." The statement was widely cited as evidence challenging the allegations.

However, Luger subsequently clarified to The New York Times that his original statement "was never meant to say anything about the substance of the claims." He explained that the letter addressed a specific report suggesting his office had requested an immigration investigation. Luger acknowledged that federal agents could have independently examined the allegations without his knowledge. The clarification has raised new questions about whether earlier public statements were interpreted more broadly than intended, particularly given reports that investigators had examined the marriage during the same period.