Omar Siddiqui, face of the blue wave: FBI adviser, patriot, Democrat and Muslim

FBI counterterrorism expert hopes to unseat Rep. Dana Rohrabacher in what was once GOP heartland

By Chauncey DeVega

Senior Writer

Published May 24, 2018 5:00AM (EDT)

Omar Siddiqui
Omar Siddiqui

Politics is a story of action and reaction, push and pull, and struggle and contestation. Donald Trump's victory was a system shock. In conjunction with the apparent aid of foreign countries who worked to subvert American democracy, Donald Trump used racism, nativism, sexism, performance art and a (largely) compliant American news media to convince tens of millions of Republicans -- along with plenty of other voters -- to support him.

Since his election in 2016, the American people have largely, as I see it, been stuck in a state of learned helplessness as Trump and the Republican Party have systematically assaulted the very idea of democratic government itself, the commons and the social safety net. Their apparent goal is to divert ever more money and public resources to gangster capitalist oligarchs and ideologues like the Koch brothers.

After too long a slumber there is now a rising tide of resistance from young people, women, gays and lesbians and other Americans who have decided to run for public office as a means of forming a bulwark against Trumpism, with the ultimate goal of returning American politics to a state of health and sanity.

One of these "non-traditional" Democratic candidates is Omar Siddiqui, a Democratic candidate in California's 48th congressional district. This is a hot race: This district on the Orange County coast just south of Los Angeles is currently represented by Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, a Republican with anti-immigration views who has frequently been accused (including by members of his own party) of being overly sweet on Vladimir Putin.

Siddiqui is an attorney and engineer, the child of an immigrant father, and a Muslim. He has worked as a consultant and adviser for the FBI and the CIA where he focused on national security and counterterrorism. Siddiqui's service has also been acknowledged and praised by members of Congress, and his website carries a testimonial from former FBI Director James Comey.

I recently spoke with Siddiqui about his decision to run for public office, his worries about America's future in the aftermath of Trump's presidency, his instincts about the Russia investigation and obstruction of justice, and how Democrats can learn from Hillary Clinton's mistakes by becoming better communicators. This conversation has been edited for clarity and length.

How do you make sense of this moment with Donald Trump? How do you think this all happened?

We live in a very divided country, and Trump was a byproduct of a large number of Americans wanting a change and being tired of politics as usual. Unfortunately, they got what they wished for -- which meant in some ways those voters also got something other than what they really wanted.

How do we restore moral leadership in this country?

We need to elect people that we can trust. Reflecting on this moment, how much would you and I dream of having someone like George W. Bush back in office? At the time, I thought it was the worst thing in the world. But right now, even though I disagree with George W. Bush and a lot of Republican candidates and their values, at least you would have someone who provided stability. Even my Republican friends admit that for the last eight years no one lost any sleep in regards to  President Obama holding the nuclear football.

Politics is one thing, but instability is an entirely different story. I think that's unfortunately what we have with Donald Trump. He is a leader who is putting himself and his interests before the country. You do not have a Congress to provide checks and balances as intended by the framers. Of course, it's extremely inefficient to have three branches of government, but the whole purpose of that institutional design is that the power remains with the people. But that is not happening right now. There are no checks and balances right now, and the Congress is letting Trump get away with anything and everything -- literally.

It's going to take good and strong leadership to correct the country's direction. That goes back to a conversation that I was having with President Obama. I couldn't believe what then-candidate Trump was talking about with his building walls and dividing people. We’re going backwards! President Obama let me go on for several minutes before he finally, in his wisdom, said, "Stop. What are you going to do about it?"

And I looked at him: I'm like, what do you want to do about it? And I'll never forget this. He said, "Who's going to bring that change? Are we waiting for Martin Luther King or JFK? Who are we waiting for? They're not going to come. You know this, they're not coming. It's us, it’s you, you changed the FBI policy around the country from the outside. Do you think the FBI was going to change on its own? You have to do something." I was taken aback. It reminded me of Obama's famous quote that "We are the change that we seek."

The Republican Party is actively enabling Trump's obstruction of justice. I would also suggest that a lot of Trump's voters wanted to hurt their fellow Americans. How do you reach out to these people? Is it even possible? 

I think everyone is realizing, Republicans and Democrats alike, that the Abraham Lincoln quote of "a house divided cannot stand" is true. Lincoln also observed that we are not going to be destroyed by a foreign enemy. If our nation falls, it's going to be because of ourselves. I think we're seeing that now. A lot of people are living scared. A lot of people are living paycheck to paycheck. When do you see this much activism? When do you see this many candidates coming forward? When do you see this many people engaged in politics? This is a positive sign that change is coming.

To defeat Donald Trump and the Republican Party, what should the Democrats' message be?

I think Democrats need to be talking about what impacts everyday people. Trump was very  effective in connecting with his voters because he kept his message simple. Hillary's mistake was that she didn't connect with the voters. It was more about "I'm with her" as opposed to "I'm with you." The Democratic Party needs to focus: We're not going to win an election by bashing President Trump. You need to reach out and connect with the issues that the voters care about.

What are some specific issues you are focusing on in your campaign?

The biggest issue for me is leadership and stability. All the issues our nation is facing stem from a lack of leadership.

Drawing on my experience as an FBI adviser on national security and counterterrorism, what I want to do is protect our homeland while not compromising our constitutional rights and liberties. I think we need to immediately address whether or not our election system -- the very foundation of our democracy -- is being tampered with by foreign powers. The American people need to be sure that their votes count.

Health care is also very important. We need to establish a single-payer system that can cover all Americans. People are living in fear of their health and there should not be a compromise between paying rent and staying alive.

We also want to make sure that we focus on protecting the middle class and making sure that big corporations pay their fair share. Another major issue for us has been climate change and promoting green energy.

Education is crucial too. Our schools should be fully funded and college should be affordable. Of course, civil rights are critical. Last but not least, and I'm sure this goes without saying, gun safety is very important. What have we done after all these mass shootings? We've done nothing. Gun safety must be critical and must be addressed right away. We have to improve and enforce background screening checks and have mandatory gun licensing. If you're required to have a license to drive a car or catch a fish, owning a gun should not be an exception to that for sure.

Given your background working with the FBI and other law enforcement and national security agencies, what do you think actually happened with Trump and Russia?  

I'm not working on the Russia investigation. I work specifically on counterterrorism matters. But the few tidbits of evidence that we're seeing are going to be very damning if justice is served. The key phrase being, "if justice is served." If the evidence that we know right now is able to be brought forth, I think you're going to have serious implications of collusion.

Let's imagine you are in an elevator or doing a small focus group with people who are on the fence about voting for you. Moreover, let us imagine that those same people are the fabled and much-discussed Obama-to-Trump voters. They're honest with you and they say, "You know, you're a Muslim, you're a person of color. You're relatively young. Why should I vote for you?" What is your answer?

I'm driven by a pursuit of truth and justice. My last name, Siddiqui, means "advocate for the truth." I've spent the last two decades championing the cause of the innocent, the helpless and powerless, especially where it's needed now, in a world where politicians and elected officials are trying to operate above the law. Why vote for me? I'm the best qualified to serve our district because I'm the only candidate that has both the private and public sector experience to be a congressman on Day One.

What are you worried about in terms of this country and our future?  

I'm worried that we have lost a lot of ground. Progress takes decades and centuries. And it can be undone. I'm concerned that if we continue down this path, we're going to undo it even more. That is literally happening right now.

What are you hopeful for?

I'm hopeful for that we as a country may go off course a little bit, but we eventually find our way back. Our values ground us. We have lived through the cancer of segregation and slavery. We had to live through the cancer of detaining our Japanese-Americans during World War II. We have to go through the cancer of the Muslim ban now, but after the storm we will come out better and stronger.

I'm taking that first step, not knowing where it's going to go or where are we going to go as a nation. I have faith in that first step, even though we can't see all of it. As Albert Einstein said, "The world isn't going to be destroyed by those who do evil. It's going to be destroyed by those who watch them without doing anything." We need to work together. We need to ensure that in the end, we remember that we are one United States. I know a lot of my message is very optimistic with hope and change. I agreed with President Obama's vision and I want to bring it back.

Why Democrats need unity now

Former congressman Steve Israel says Democrats should focus on winning now and hash out their differences later.


By Chauncey DeVega

Chauncey DeVega is a senior politics writer for Salon. His essays can also be found at Chaunceydevega.com. He also hosts a weekly podcast, The Chauncey DeVega Show. Chauncey can be followed on Twitter and Facebook.

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