Cotton asks IRS to investigate tax-exempt Muslim group
Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) has formally requested the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to investigate the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a tax-exempt Muslim advocacy group, over alleged ties to terrorist organizations such as Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood. Cotton’s letter to IRS Commissioner Billy Long claims that CAIR, despite presenting itself as a civil rights association protecting American Muslims, has documented connections to terrorism, including being named an “unindicted co-conspirator” in the Holy land Foundation terrorism financing case and participating in meetings with Hamas supporters.
Cotton highlights recent comments by CAIR’s National Executive Director,Nihad Awad,who expressed support for Palestinians during the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023,drawing criticism from the Biden management.The senator urged an IRS review of CAIR’s compliance with tax regulations, emphasizing that tax-exempt status should not subsidize organizations linked to terrorism.
In response, CAIR dismissed the investigation request as promoting conspiracy theories and defended its record on civil rights, condemning violence and advocating for moral consistency. The controversy follows previous efforts by Republican lawmakers to designate CAIR as a terrorist organization, including legislation introduced by Rep. Randy Fine and bipartisan efforts to label the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist group.
Cotton asks IRS to investigate tax-exempt Muslim group over terrorist ties
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) on Tuesday asked the Internal Revenue Service to investigate the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a tax-exempt Muslim advocacy nonprofit group, over its ties to terrorist organizations such as Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood.
“CAIR purports to be a civil rights organization dedicated to protecting the rights of American Muslims,” Cotton wrote in a letter to IRS Commissioner Billy Long. “But substantial evidence confirms CAIR has deep ties to terrorist organizations.”
The senator notes CAIR was a member of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Palestine Committee, which was revealed in the long-running Holy Land Foundation terrorism financing case. CAIR was listed as an “unindicted co-conspirator” in that case.
The Muslim group was also found to have participated in a meeting with Hamas supporters in Philadelphia, the lawmaker says.
More recently, CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said he was “happy to see” Palestinians “breaking the siege and throwing down the shackles of their own land” during Hamas’s attack against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. He also asserted that “the people of Gaza have the right to self-defense.”
Awad made the comments during a speech in November 2023, weeks after the Hamas-led massacre of Israeli citizens. The speech shocked the Biden administration, which condemned CAIR at the time over the anti-Israel remarks.
“These are only a few examples of CAIR’s heinous activities,” Cotton’s letter states.
The Arkansas Republican specifically requested an IRS investigation into CAIR’s compliance with Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(3), which prohibits charitable organizations from providing material support to terrorists. The investigation would include a review of the group’s financial records, affiliations, and activities, according to the senator.
“The IRS has broad authority to examine whether an entity’s operations align with its exempt purpose,” Cotton wrote. “Tax-exempt status is a privilege, not a right, and it should not subsidize organizations with links to terrorism.”
In response to the letter, CAIR shrugged off the requested investigation and accused Cotton of peddling “debunked conspiracy theories and half-baked legal arguments” at the behest of his Israeli “handlers.”
“Unlike [Cotton], our civil rights organization defends the Constitution, including its guarantees of free speech and religious freedom. Also unlike Tom Cotton, we oppose injustice here and abroad, from hate crimes to terrorism to ethnic cleansing to genocide,” the organization said on social media.
“That’s why we speak out against the ongoing genocide in Gaza and why we spoke out against attacks on civilians in Israel on Oct. 7th,” it added. “This is called moral consistency, Tom. You should try it. Make sure to ask [the American Israel Public Affairs Committee] first, though.”
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This isn’t the first time CAIR has faced scrutiny from Republican lawmakers. In June, Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL) introduced a bill urging the State Department to designate CAIR as a foreign terrorist organization like Hamas. During his time in the Florida legislature, Fine led a successful resolution that encouraged Florida government entities to suspend their relationships with CAIR.
While Hamas is designated as a foreign terrorist organization, the Muslim Brotherhood is not. Reps. Mario Díaz-Balart (R-FL) and Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) are leading a bipartisan bill that would designate the global militant organization as a terrorist front.
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