Approximately 30 percent of the money doled out by the campaign of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D., Minn.) in the third quarter went to digital fundraising, communications, and advertising services provided by the E Street Group, a firm run by her alleged boyfriend.
Omar's campaign committee, which raised a total of $1,084,098.84 in the third quarter, spent $493,389.80 during this time. The E Street Group, a firm run by political consultant Tim Mynett, Omar's alleged lover, received more money from the campaign than any other vendor.
The Omar campaign paid the E Street Group $149,812.64 between July 1 and Sept. 30, its filings show. That accounts for around 30 percent of Omar's total campaign disbursements over the same period. Her campaign has over $1.5 million cash on hand.
The payments represent a significant increase from previous spending on the group's services. In the first two quarters—the first six months of the year—the campaign paid approximately $160,000 to the E Street Group. The $150,000 in new payments, made over the past three months, nearly matches that number.
Mynett's wife, Dr. Beth Mynett, said that her husband told her in April that he was having an affair with Omar, the New York Post reported in August.
According to divorce papers filed by Beth Mynett, "The parties physically separated on or about April 7, 2019, when defendant told plaintiff that he was romantically involved with and in love with another woman, Ilhan Omar."
"By way of example, days prior to defendant's devastating and shocking declaration of love for Rep. Omar and admission of their affair, he and Rep. Omar took the parties' son to dinner to formally meet for the first time at the family's favorite neighborhood restaurant while plaintiff was out of town," the papers said. "Rep. Omar gave the parties' son a gift and the defendant later brought her back inside the family's home."
Mynett has denied allegations of an affair, while Omar, who is in the process of divorcing her husband, has dodged questions about the situation.
Omar's campaign did not respond to a request for comment on the payments by press time.