A prominent Democratic political consultant denied he is having an affair with Rep. Ilhan Omar after his estranged wife alleged in a divorce filing that he had been in a monthslong relationship with the Minnesota Democrat.
Tim Mynett, 38, filed a legal response Tuesday pushing back against Beth Jordan Mynett’s assertions that he told her in April, when they separated, that “he was romantically involved with and in love with another woman, Ilhan Omar.”
“Mr. Mynett denies that he told Ms. Mynett he was leaving the marriage for Representative Ilhan Omar or that he was in love with her,” the new filing says, according to the Star Tribune.
Tim Mynett and his wife, a physician, have a 13-year-old son. The couple married in 2012 and had been living together for the past six years. Omar, 37, lives in Minneapolis with her husband and their three children, the youngest of whom is seven.
Beth Mynett, 55, is seeking primary custody of their son, citing her husband’s “extensive travel” with Omar, whose campaign has paid Tim Mynett’s political consulting firm, E Street Group, more than $200,000 since 2018.
“Defendant’s more recent travel and long work hours now appear to be more related to his affair with Rep. Omar than with his actual work commitments,” Beth Mynett’s divorce filing alleged.
Beth Mynett also alleged that her husband put their son “in harm’s way” when he brought the 13-year-old to a dinner with Omar because Omar has “garnered a plethora of media attention along with death threats.”
Tim Mynett said in the court documents that he did bring their son to dinner with Omar, but it was at the request of their son. He said he has regularly taken their son to dinner with his political clients.
The allegation of an affair has brought additional scrutiny to Omar’s own marriage. She has faced repeated questions over her marital history after allegations surfaced that she married her brother and committed immigration fraud.
The freshman congresswoman married her husband, Ahmed Abdisalan Hirsi, in 2002 during a faith-based ceremony but did not legally marry at the time. Omar and Hirsi had two children before they separated in 2008. The next year, Omar legally married Ahmed Nur Said Elmi. The two split in 2011, the same year Omar and Hirsi reconciled, but did not legally divorce until 2017. Omar and Hirsi had a third child in 2012 and legally married in early 2018.
Omar denied last week that she was having an affair. When asked whether she had separated from Hirsi or was dating anyone else, Omar said, “No I am not.”
“I have no interest in allowing the conversation about my personal life to continue and so I have no desire to discuss it,” she told WCCO.
