Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry (R.), a former member of Congress and an Army veteran, claimed that freshman Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar (Minn.) has been fundraising for a terror-tied organization that has a "long history of financing terrorist groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah and al Qaeda."
Landry, in remarks criticizing Omar's recent appearance before the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, accused the Democratic lawmaker of working on behalf of a group that disseminates anti-Israel propaganda and has a history of close relations with notorious terror organizations.
"Despite repeated claims that CAIR is a benign, mainstream civil-rights advocacy group, the truth remains that CAIR has a long history of financing terrorist groups like Hamas, Hezbollah and al Qaeda," Landry said in a statement. "Since 9/11, 15 CAIR leaders have been criminally convicted or implicated in terrorism investigations—including one convicted for violating sanctions of Iraq and another for financing al Qaeda and the Taliban."
In June, the Louisiana House of Representatives passed legislation that would compel law enforcement and government organizations to avoid and suspend all contact with CAIR as a result of its links to terror groups.
"In fact, CAIR was listed as an unindicted co-conspirator in the largest successful prosecution of financing terrorism in this nation's history—the Holy Land Foundation case (HLF)," Landry said. "During the trial, CAIR was identified as a Muslim Brotherhood front group and FBI agents testified that it also operates as a front for Hamas."
Landry urged Democratic leaders to distance themselves from Omar and to make clear that she does not speak for the plurality of lawmakers.
"Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Democrat leaders should end the political posturing, call for Rep. Omar to end her association with is group, and work to cut funding to front groups like this, and its members who support it," Landry said.
Omar waded into scandal in recent weeks due to her appearance at CAIR and comments claiming the terrorist perpetrators of the 9/11 attacks were "some people" who "did some things."
"Rep. Omar, who has a penchant for disrespectful remarks, recently exercised her First Amendment rights by referring to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 as 'some thing,'" Landry said. "However, what is more troubling than her anti-American comments is her support of the organization for which she was so honored to fundraise."