Republican representatives are urging the Trump administration to launch an inquiry into the funding sources of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), pointing to what they describe as “potential connections” to Hamas.
On Tuesday, Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York and Sen. Tom Cotton from Arkansas reached out to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, requesting a thorough investigation into CAIR, emphasizing concerns regarding the organization’s origins and its leadership.
“This historical connection to Hamas, along with public statements that appear to echo Hamas’ narratives and support for extremist activism, raises significant concerns regarding whether CAIR’s backing of Hamas constitutes material support for terrorist activities,” read their letter, which was co-signed by both lawmakers and initially reported by the Washington Free Beacon.
“We urge your department to promptly investigate any financial connections CAIR may have to Hamas that would violate U.S. sanctions and to ascertain that none of its financial resources are being utilized to further Hamas’ aims.”
The letter highlighted the past involvement of CAIR’s Executive Director Nihad Awad and co-founder Omar Ahmad with the Islamic Association for Palestine, an entity that “federal authorities characterized as a propaganda organization for Hamas.”
Their letter also referenced that Awad and Ahmad participated in a 1993 meeting with the Muslim Brotherhood’s Palestine Committee, where it was alleged that attendees discussed forming a new organization to support Hamas while masking its affiliations, as stated in the letter.
CAIR was established a year later in June 1994.
The lawmakers pointed out a 2008 federal “terrorism financing trial” where the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development and five of its top officials were found guilty of “material support to Hamas,” according to a press release from the Department of Justice.
They noted that during this trial, CAIR was identified as “an unindicted co-conspirator” and claimed that “evidence indicated direct financial interactions between CAIR and the Hamas-affiliated charity,” which was never verified in court.
This accusation has previously appeared in a bill drafted in June 2025, which sought to assess whether CAIR “meets the qualifications for classification as a foreign terrorist organization.”
In addition to the alleged connections, the letter to Bessent also highlighted controversial comments made by CAIR leaders in the aftermath of the October 7, 2023, terrorist attack that escalated the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Awad reportedly referred to the assaults as people “breaking the siege” and characterized the conflict as a “decolonization” struggle, according to the letter.
CAIR also provided financial backing for anti-Israel demonstrators and campus protests that erupted across the nation in the spring of 2024.
The letter specifically mentioned the organization’s legal and financial assistance for Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate student who was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement due to his participation in anti-Israel protests on campus.
During Khalil’s prolonged detention, CAIR initiated a lawsuit against the university to shield his and other students’ records from congressional scrutiny.
Stefanik and Cotton claimed that CAIR’s “funding sources” could have been uncovered if the organization had not recently reached a settlement in the lawsuit.
The organization historically has not disclosed its donors on its website or its tax returns. CAIR is a tax-exempt entity.
Earlier in August, Cotton sent a letter to IRS Commissioner Billy Long, urging the agency to contemplate revoking CAIR’s tax-exempt status, citing its “significant ties to terrorist groups.”
In response, CAIR condemned the array of allegations mentioned in the letter, labeling them as part of a “witch hunt against Americans who condemn the atrocities in Gaza.”
“Unlike Tom Cotton and Elise Stefanik, who endorse the massacre and starvation of children in Gaza to appease their AIPAC backers, CAIR has consistently been an independent voice that serves the American populace, relying on public donations and opposing all forms of unjust violence, including hate crimes, terrorism, ethnic cleansing, or genocide,” CAIR stated in a response to The Post.
“That’s why CAIR denounced both the civilian attacks on October 7th and the genocide taking place in Gaza; it exemplifies moral consistency— a concept that Mr. Cotton and Ms. Stefanik seem to lack.”
The Post has reached out to Bessent, Cotton, and Stefanik for further comments.
