"We will develop national initiatives such as a lobby day and placing
Muslim interns in Congressional offices," a memo attributed to CAIR said.
Four Republicans in the Congressional Anti-Terrorism Caucus have called
for a House investigation whether CAIR planted interns on the Homeland
Security Committee, Intelligence Committee and Judiciary Committee. They
said CAIR's goal was to influence national security policy.
"If an organization is connected to or supports terrorists [and] is
running influence operations or planting spies in key national
security-related offices, I think this needs to be made known," Rep. Paul
Broun, a member of the Homeland Security Committee, said.
The four legislators, including Reps. Trent Franks and John Shadegg of
Arizona and
Rep. Sue Myrick of North Carolina have called on the Internal Revenue
Service to investigate CAIR's non-profit status. The group has also urged
their House colleagues to examine evidence collected by the Justice
Department that named CAIR as a co-conspirator in the prosecution of a
Muslim charity aligned with Hamas.
Ms. Myrick wrote a foreword of a book on the penetration of Saudi
lobbyists on Capitol Hill. The book, titled "Muslim Mafia: Inside the Secret
Underworld that's Conspiring to Islamize America" and authored by P. David
Gaubatz and Paul Sperry, was released on Oct. 15 in Washington.
CAIR has denied the accusations by the House members. CAIR spokesman
Ibrahim Cooper said any House investigation would harm relations with
Muslims and non-Muslims.
"What are their charges?" CAIR spokesman Ibrahim Hooper asked. "CAIR
seeks political participation of Muslims. I'm shocked."
For his part, Gaubatz, whose son posed as a Muslim to work in CAIR, said
he has been the target of a smear campaign by lobbying group. The book,
based on internal documents, asserted that CAIR received nearly $1 million
from the ruler of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates as well as nearly $1
million from Saudi interests.
"I have one foot on CAIR," Gaubatz said. "I tell the truth. They simply
lie and we have the proof."
"We need to know that information so that we can discern whether we want
to take interns associated with that group into our office," Ms. Myrick
said. "It's frightening to think that an organization with clear-cut ties to
terrorism could have a hand in influencing policy — especially national
security policy — within our government."
