Ilhan Omar's citizenship challenge is unprecedented

Rep. Ilhan Omar is up for reelection next week amid a new wave of verbal attacks by President Donald Trump, as well as a criminal investigation targeting her home and possibly her U.S. citizenship.

Some legal experts say it’s an unprecedented escalation against a lawmaker.

Mark Osler is a professor at the University of St. Thomas, and a former federal prosecutor. He said the timing of the raid of her D.C. home, weeks before an election, broke from the Justice Department’s typical interpretation of its rules.

“If something is likely to raise an issue, or the perception of an issue, with doing something like this close to an election, there are special approvals that need to be made. There has to be a good reason to do it,” Osler said. “There's not a complete bar, but there's definitely ...