Saudi-backed group accused of trying to infiltrate House committees
Tuesday, October 20, 2009 E-Mail this story Free Headline Alerts
WASHINGTON — The Council on American Islamic Relations was said to have targeted a series of House committees that deal with classified defense and security information.
The Saudi-financed Muslim group has been accused of trying to place interns in House defense and security committees.
House members said the council, deemed as aligned with Hamas, might have already planted members on the House Homeland Security Committee, Intelligence Committee and Judiciary Committee.
"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."