Republican candidate hoping to unseat Rep. Ilhan Omar charged with felony theft

A Republican aiming to unseat Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) with promises of being tough on crime has been charged with felony theft, The Guardian reports.

Danielle Stella, 31, was arrested twice this year after allegedly shoplifting more than 279 items worth at least $2,300 from a Target store in January and $40 worth of products from a grocery store in April. In text messages to The Guardian, Stella said she is "not guilty of these crimes. In this country I am innocent until proven guilty and that is the law. If I was guilty of crimes, I would never run for public office, putting myself in the public eye under a microscope to be attacked by all political sides."

A special education teacher, Stella has appeared on several right-wing websites and radio programs over the last few weeks, espousing her support for President Trump; she is also reportedly a believer in the QAnon conspiracy. After Omar shared information with immigrants on how to avoid Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, Stella tweeted that any lawmaker who doesn't "uphold the rule of law" should be kicked out off office, and she also decried Minneapolis as being the "crime capital of our country."

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