Peter Schweizer joined Chanel Rion to explore the dramatic rise in Congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s household wealth, now estimated at $30 million and largely tied to her husband’s venture capital firm.
Schweizer’s expertise in following the money of corruption has taught him how the corruption these days is “off-shored” to wives, husbands, or children of politicians.
“It used to be, in the old days, that a politician would get shoeboxes of cash, then they would get caught and go to jail,” Schweizer said. “What happens now is political families have their family members do it. It can be their spouse, or an adult child. They set up a ‘business.” Capital firms are great because it’s a vague term and you don’t have to disclose a whole lot. And money flows there.”
Their interview delves into questions of transparency, political connections, and whether the system allows politicians to obscure their financial activities.
Rep. Ilhan Omar’s husband, Tim Mynett, co-founded a venture capital firm called Rose Lake Capital, LLC. According to reporting this week by Just The News, the firm boasts about its extensive international ties, high-powered advisers, expertise in diplomacy, legislation and politics, but reveals nothing about its clients or investments.
“This firm has ‘venture capital’ in the name, but if you look under hood of this business, there doesn’t seem to be any engine there. There’s no capital, per se, that they have disclosed. There are no deals that they have announced. What they brag about is their political connections in Washington, DC and elsewhere. the two founders are both political consultants, they’re not finance guys. So, that sets up a lot of red flags for me,” he said.
