Overview

• On Oct. 14, Rep. Elise Stefanik and Sen. Tom Cotton sent Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent a letter urging an investigation into the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
• They cite CAIR’s mention as an unindicted co-conspirator in the 2009 Holy Land Foundation case, leaders’ past roles in the Islamic Association of Palestine, and Nihad Awad’s 2023 remarks praising Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack.
• The lawmakers ask Treasury to determine whether any CAIR funds or activities violate U.S. sanctions or constitute material support for Hamas.
• CAIR does not disclose donors and recently settled a lawsuit that could have revealed foreign funding, though the group publicly denies supporting any foreign organization or government.
• Treasury has not announced an investigation, and Cotton has separately pressed the IRS and the Education Department to review CAIR’s tax status and school initiatives.