I don’t want Ilhan Omar silenced. I want the truth.

Federal agents searched Congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s Washington, D.C., home Monday morning, and before the day was over, much of the political and media establishment was sounding the alarm about government intimidation, political persecution and the supposed weaponization of federal law enforcement.

I listened to some of those reactions on Monday’s Rush Hour, and I couldn’t help wondering where all this concern for the rights of political opponents had been hiding a few years ago.

Apparently, Washington has rediscovered the dangers of an intrusive federal search. What a remarkable coincidence.

The Justice Department confirmed that Homeland Security Investigations agents executed a judicially authorized search warrant as part of an ongoing criminal investigation. Reporting from several news organizations indicates that investigators are examining questions involving Omar’s immigration paperwork, including documents dating back to her childhood.

Those are the facts we know. A search warrant is not an indictment, an indictment is not a conviction, and allegations are not proof. That’s important, and I’ll return to it.

But first, let’s talk about the reaction.

We played clips from MS NOW, where commentators immediately began raising questions about the investigation’s timing, Omar’s status as a political opponent of President Trump and the intrusiveness of the search.

Susan Glasser suggested that the investigation could be another example of Trump using the machinery of government against his enemies. Ken Dilanian raised concerns about Omar’s constitutional protections as a member of Congress and the extensive search of her personal belongings. Another commentator wondered whether the investigation might actually become a political rallying point for Democrats in Minnesota.

Now, isn’t that interesting?

A federal investigation involving a Democratic congresswoman, and we’re already discussing how it might help Democrats politically.

I understand why people are asking questions about the timing. Omar is running for reelection, and the search occurred just weeks before voters go to the polls. The Justice Department has longstanding guidelines intended to prevent investigative actions from improperly influencing elections. Those concerns deserve serious examination.

But I have a question of my own.

Where was this extraordinary sensitivity when federal agents searched Mar-a-Lago?

Remember that spectacle? FBI agents searching the home of a former president who was also Joe Biden’s principal political opponent. The news coverage, the speculation, the breathless anticipation of what investigators might uncover.

I certainly remember it.

There were legitimate legal questions surrounding the classified documents investigation, just as there are legitimate legal questions surrounding the investigation involving Omar. The circumstances and applicable laws are not identical, and I wouldn’t pretend otherwise.

But the principle ought to be identical.

If you believe federal law enforcement must be especially careful when investigating political figures, that concern cannot depend on whether the politician has a D or an R after the name.

And if an intrusive search of a politician’s home raises questions about government power today, it should have raised those same questions yesterday.

Omar responded to Monday’s search by accusing the Trump administration of targeting political enemies. She described it as another attempt at intimidation and declared, “I will not be silenced.”

I said something on the air that I want to repeat here.

I don’t want Ilhan Omar silenced.

I want her to speak. She has every right to criticize the president, his administration and the policies she opposes. That right is not diminished because I disagree with her politics, and it certainly isn’t diminished because federal investigators are examining allegations involving her.

But her right to speak is not the issue.

The issue is whether there is credible evidence that any immigration laws were violated, who was responsible for any alleged violations and whether the government can establish its case through the proper legal process.

Omar became a naturalized American citizen in 2000, when she was 17. Reports indicate that investigators are examining paperwork completed by her late father when she was a child. That distinction matters enormously. Questions about documents submitted on behalf of a minor are not automatically evidence that the child committed fraud.

For years, rumors and allegations about Omar’s immigration history and marriage have circulated. She has denied wrongdoing. Repeating those allegations doesn’t make them true, and the existence of a federal investigation doesn’t establish their accuracy.

But neither does holding public office make someone immune from a lawful investigation supported by evidence.

That’s why I keep coming back to a simple standard.

If Omar followed the law, and these allegations turn out to be baseless, she deserves a public apology from those who falsely accused her. If investigators uncover actual wrongdoing, the evidence should be presented, the appropriate legal process should follow, and any consequences should be determined according to the law.

Not according to what Republicans want. Not according to what Democrats want. According to the law.

And that includes protecting her rights throughout the process.

I also found it remarkable how quickly some commentators began framing the investigation as a political opportunity. Perhaps it will affect the midterm elections. Perhaps it won’t. But shouldn’t we establish what happened before deciding how many votes somebody might gain from it?

There’s a tendency in modern politics to treat every investigation as either a heroic pursuit of justice or an outrageous abuse of power, depending entirely on who’s being investigated.

We’ve become so accustomed to choosing sides that sometimes we forget to ask whether the accusations are true.

I don’t know what federal investigators will ultimately find in Omar’s case. Neither do the television commentators confidently predicting political persecution, and neither do the people confidently predicting her guilt.

What I do know is that Americans deserve a justice system that applies the same standards to everybody, including politicians we admire and politicians we cannot stand.

Ilhan Omar has a right to defend herself. The government has an obligation to justify its actions. And the American people have a right to expect that facts, rather than political loyalties, will determine the outcome.

If she’s innocent of the allegations, clear her name.

If wrongdoing is established, follow the law.

But spare me the sudden discovery that government power can be dangerous only when it’s directed at someone on your side.

— Bo