Fox News host Jesse Waters and a guest on Tuesday discussed a report stating that ‘Squad’ member Rep. Ilhan Omar’s wealth has “skyrocketed” by tens of millions of dollars, quipping that she could soon overtake former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s net worth.
The dramatic increase in the Minnesota socialist-leaning Democrat’s wealth, first reported by the Washington Free Beacon, came just months after she dismissed claims she was a millionaire as “ridiculous” and “categorically false.”
The May filing shows Omar and her husband, Tim Mynett, saw their net worth jump roughly 3,500% in 2024 compared with the previous year to roughly $30 million.
The Washington Free Beacon noted the gains stemmed from Mynett’s two businesses — a winery in Santa Rosa, Calif., and a venture capital firm in Washington, D.C.
In his show segment, Waters quipped with fellow Fox host Julie Bandaras that Omar’s personal fortune, at this rate of growth, will soon outpace Pelosi, who, with her husband Paul, is reportedly worth between $257 million and $268 million in 2024–2025.
“Queen Nancy is on the brink of getting her crown stolen. Get this: Squad member Ilhan Omar’s net worth skyrocketed up to $30 million last year. That is an increase, my calculations, 3500% in a year,” Waters said to begin the segment.
“So where is the gold coming from? Her husband, not her brother, her husband, who owns a winery and a venture capital firm. Omar is not happy the news is out. She’s calling these claims ridiculous and categorically false. I guess being a millionaire isn’t a great look for a communist. Fox News host Julie Banderas joins us now. How did she make that much scratch?” Waters asked.
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“It’s called husband. But what’s interesting is she says, ‘I don’t have millions, I just have barely thousands,’ which is interesting when you are married and not the moneyed spouse. It’s our money until you don’t have to show for it. So, of course, it’s his money. Try divorcing her, and I will bet you anything that she will say she’s worth all of those millions,” Banderas said.
“Is he like the Muslim Paulie P.? Because that is one sweet investment,” Waters joked, referencing Paul Pelosi.
“No, it’s amazing. But his firm actually was hired by her campaign and they paid his firm $2.9 million, so she paid him. I don’t know what’s going on there,” Banderas responded.
“She paid him, and now he’s paying her back,” said Waters.
“I want to marry someone who will pay me. I don’t know for what, I don’t know what my job is, but I will take it,” said Banderas.
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Omar’s rapid wealth gains in 2024 could prove awkward after she told Business Insider in February that claims of her being worth millions were part of a “coordinated right-wing disinformation campaign.”
At the time, she dismissed suggestions she held more than modest assets as “ridiculous” and “categorically false,” according to the Free Beacon.
She also took to X in February, challenging critics to “maybe try checking my public financial statements and you will see I barely have thousands let alone millions.”
At the close of 2023, Mynett’s combined stake in his two companies was valued at no more than $51,000, with less than $700 in their bank accounts, while he and business partner Will Hailer faced investor lawsuits alleging multimillion-dollar fraud.
By the end of 2024, however, Mynett’s stake had soared to between $6 million and $30 million, and the pair settled the lawsuits with cash payments, according to the Free Beacon.
Mynett’s business dealings have dogged Omar since their March 2020 marriage. The two began an affair while both were married to others, during which Omar’s campaign paid his consulting firm $2.9 million in the 2020 cycle.
The arrangement drew heavy scrutiny, and by year’s end, Mynett left political consulting to partner with Will Hailer in the winery and venture capital businesses, the Beacon added.