A state lawmaker filed a complaint against fellow Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, accusing her of using campaign money to pay her divorce lawyer's legal fees in violation of state law.
Republican Rep. Steve Drazkowski recently filed the complaint about Omar, a Minneapolis Democrat who is running for U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison's open congressional seat.
Drazkowski questioned a $2,250 payment she made in Nov. 2016 to Kjellberg Law Office for legal fees. The firm, which specializes in family law and divorce cases, handled Omar's 2017 divorce.
Omar's attorney, who owns the firm, denied the allegation.
"That's absolutely false, I provided legal services for crisis management prior to that, and those funds were for reimbursements for costs on crisis management," attorney Carla Kjellberg said.
In a statement, Omar said the allegation is false. "I look forward to working with the Representative, as a member of Congress, on behalf of all Minnesotans," she said.
Drazkowski, of Mazeppa, submitted the complaint to the state's Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board. Jeff Sigurdson, the board's director, said the board's policy does not allow him to even confirm a complaint was filed until it's resolved or there are findings.
The general process for handling complaints is to first determine whether the complaint is under the board's jurisdiction and whether there is some basis to believe the violation occurred, he said.