ALBANY, N.Y. (NEXSTAR) — U.S. Congressmember Elise Stefanik of New York wants the U.S. Department of the Treasury to investigate the Council on American-Islamic Relations for possible sanctions violations or financial links to Hamas, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization. CAIR, the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, called a letter that Stefanik wrote to the Treasury an attempt to trigger a "McCarthy-era witch hunt."

U.S. House Republican Leadership Chair Stefanik and Senate Republican Conference Chair Tom Cotton wrote to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Tuesday. They asked him to "immediately investigate whether CAIR maintains financial links to Hamas that constitute violation of U.S. sanctions on Hamas."

The congressional leaders argued that federal authorities identified the Islamic Association for Palestine—which CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad and co-founder Omar Ahmad previously led—as a propaganda arm for Hamas. Awad and Ahmad attended a 1993 meeting of the Muslim Brotherhood's Palestine Committee in Philadelphia, they wrote, where participants discussed creating a new group to support Hamas while concealing its ties. CAIR formed in 1994.

The letter also said that in the Holy Land Foundation terrorism financing trial, CAIR was named an unindicted co-conspirator. It said that evidence in that case showed direct financial interactions between CAIR and the defunct charity, which was linked to Hamas.

The lawmakers insisted that CAIR officials have made public statements justifying the October 7 Hamas attack in Israel. For instance, Awad told attendees at an American Muslims for Palestine event that the attacks were about people "breaking the siege." Other CAIR leaders referred to the attacks using the term "decolonization."

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