An organization that supports Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad paid former Democratic Representative Dennis Kucinich $20,000 to speak to its organization last year.
The payment came out as part of the Democrat's financial disclosures since he is running for governor of Ohio. Originally, Kucinich did not list the source of the payments and referred to them as speaking fees without specifying who they came from, the Columbus Dispatch reports. The three speaking fees came to a total of $33,000.
The $20,000 payment came from the Association for Investment in Popular Action Committees, in El Cerrito, California. The speech was at the European Centre for the Study of Extremism in Cambridge, England. Kucinich's travel costs were also handled.
Kucinich has been to Syria several times before and has met Assad. The gubernatorial candidate is against most military actions the U.S. could be involved in and repeatedly attempted to impeach former President George W. Bush for the invasion of Iraq.
Kucinich is in an uphill battle to claim the Democratic nomination for governor. Former CFPB head Richard Cordray is the favorite to lock down the Democratic nomination.
The organization that backed Kucinich's travel and speech called on the U.S. to pay reparations after recent missile strikes on Syrian military targets and has praised Russian President Vladimir Putin for his actions in Syria.