Israel Matzav

Unindicted co-conspirator seeks to spy on Congress?

The Hill is reporting that four Republican Representatives have asked the House sergeant-at-arms to investigate whether CAIR - the Council on American Islamic Relations - has planted spies as interns in key congressional committees to try to influence legislation relating to anti-terrorism efforts (Hat Tip: Jihad Watch).

CAIR was named an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation trial, in which a number of Muslims were convicted of raising money in the United States for the Hamas terror organization.

According to The Hill, the House sergeant-at-arms said that his office received no such request and the Justice Department is declining comment.

Reps. Sue Myrick (R-N.C.), John Shadegg (R-Ariz.), Paul Broun (R-Ga.) and Trent Franks (R-Ariz.), citing the book Muslim Mafia: Inside the Secret Underworld that’s Conspiring to Islamize America, called for the House sergeant at arms to investigate whether CAIR had been successful in placing interns on key panels. The lawmakers are specifically focused on the House Homeland Security Committee, Intelligence Committee and Judiciary Committee.

“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,” said Broun, who sits on the Homeland Security Committee. “So I join my colleagues here today in calling for action.”

...

The book, which was written by P. David Gaubatz and Paul Sperry with a foreword by Myrick, is scheduled to be released on Thursday.

A representative of CAIR called the accusations unfounded and worried that they would tarnish the improving relations between Muslim and non-Muslim Americans.

“God forbid American Muslims take part in the political process and exercise their rights,” said Ibrahim Hooper, a CAIR spokesman, in a telephone interview. “I suppose they’re going to investigate the Muslim Staffers Association next.

“If these people weren’t so hate-filled, it would be laughable, but unfortunately they have an audience and, given their positions, it’s going to get picked up by the hate blogs.”

I'd feel a lot better if Hooper had said "God forbid American Muslims take part in an effort to undermine America's (and everyone else's) security. But of course, he would never say that.

Eight years after 9/11, all we seem to have learned is President Bush's hasty and misguided declaration that Islam is a 'religion of peace.'

What could go wrong?

Read the whole thing.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 9:34 AM