"Absolutely not, it did helpfeed kids," Omarsaid in Decemberwhen asked if she regreted her support for the MEALS Act.
Killian’s email also directly contradicts his own words in a LinkedIn post from a year ago, reviewed by Fox News Digital, in which he characterized the significance of the legislation differently.
"When I worked in Congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s office during the pandemic, she wrote and passed the MEALS Act, a vital bill funding schools and feeding all kids," Killian wrote.
In the same post, Killian described the bill as laying "the groundwork" for broader school meals policy, a contrast to his email to lawmakers in which he argued the legislation "never even passed" and sought to distance it from the framework later used during the pandemic.
Killian’s email to Robbins also included a P.S. with a link to the well-known Schoolhouse Rock "I’m Just a Bill" cartoon that explains to children how bills become law.
"It’s shameful," Robbins told Fox News Digital about the tone of the email and referred to the situation as Omar’s "henchmen" coming after her.
"We have had no official response from the congresswoman, but they have a former district director, which is the most senior position, and he sent it to me and the Democrat lead on the committee," Robbins said. "So he's clearly wanting to have Democrats push back on me and say, ‘Robbins doesn't know what she's talking about, this wasn't really Ilhan's bill, it never passed,’ which is just BS."
Notably, Killian’s letter does not address the specific questions the committee asked Omar in a recent letter, which the congresswoman has not responded to, related to the several connections between Omar and individuals in the Somali community charged or implicated in the case.
The committee asked Omar to turn over communications showing how she promoted expanded access to federal child nutrition programs, including emails, texts and meeting records with the Minnesota Department of Education and constituents.
The request also zeroed in on Omar’s public promotion of a Minneapolis restaurant that later became linked to the fraud scandal. Robbins cited a Somali-language TV appearance in which Omar highlighted Safari Restaurant as a meal distribution site and asked for all communications related to the video and the restaurant’s participation.
"She fought to keep the waivers in place during the time that Safari and the other fraudsters were making their money," Robbins told Fox News Digital.
The committee is also seeking records of any contact between Omar and a long list of individuals charged or implicated in the Feeding Our Future case, including nonprofit founder Aimee Bock and dozens of alleged co-conspirators as well as information about political donations Omar received from individuals later charged in the case, requesting "any and all" communications with those donors.
In a response to Fox News Digital, Killian did not directly say whether his original email was coordinated with Rep. Omar or her office, instead describing it as his personal "perspective." He acknowledged that "very similar language" from the MEALS Act was included in the broader coronavirus relief package that became law.
Killian also argued that responsibility for the fraud lies with those who implemented the program, placing blame on both federal and state officials, particularly Gov. Tim Walz.
"It was then overseen by the Trump USDA. And then governors like Walz. Frankly, Governor Walz…deserves the same level of scrutiny as this Fox inquiry," Killian wrote. "At the end of the day, it was Governor Walz who [expletive] this up."
Killian further sought to distance the legislation from the fraud itself, arguing that "no fraud took place at actual public schools" and that "the nonprofits did," adding that "Ilhan’s bill was focused on the former."
But the same waiver authority allowed meals to be distributed far beyond school cafeterias, including at non-school sites such as restaurants and community locations later tied to the fraud scheme, raising questions about how separate the two systems were in practice.
Killian also dismissed inconsistencies over whether the MEALS Act "passed" as a matter of "casual" or imprecise language, without directly reconciling his emailed statement that the bill "never even passed" with his prior description of Omar as having "wrote and passed" it.
Omar’s office did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Omar was given a deadlineof May 5 to respond to the committee, which she did not meet, and has yet to give any public response.
After Omar missed the deadline, thecommittee attempted to subpoena herfor the, information but wasblocked by Democratson the committee in a party-line vote.
"It’s the same story every time," Robbinsposted on Xafter the vote. "Fraud is committed, information is suppressed, and the dysfunction continues."
