Wahhabi Lobby Supported Moran

Moran received significant campaign contributions from Hamas and Islamic Jihad supporters, according to an 11/20 article by J. Michael Waller in Insight Magazine. Entitled "Wahhabi Lobby Spreads Its Wealth," the article describes campaign contributions that Moran received from the following individuals:

• Abdurahman Alamoudi, currently in jail on charges of receiving a suitcase filled with $380,000 in cash from the Libyan government; and
• Jamal Barzinji, who donated $3750 to Moran's campaign. The article states that "David Kane, a senior special agent with the U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, testified in a March 20, 2002, affidavit to U.S. Magistrate Judge Theresa Carroll Buchanan that Barzinji is a major figure among 'a group of individuals that are suspected of providing material support to terrorists, money laundering and tax evasion through the use of a variety of related for-profit companies and ostensible charitable entities under their control.'"

If anything, the situation is even worse than Insight Magazine describes. The article states correctly that Moran eventually did return the contributions from Alamoudi and from Barzinji, but Moran delayed returning the contributions for months while he repeatedly defended the two men.

In a 3/28/02 article, Post correspondent Spencer S. Hsu reported that Moran was refusing to return the Barzinji contribution even though federal agents had raided the offices of organizations that Barzinji helped to run:

"Federal agents served warrants on March 20 and 21 at the Herndon-based Saar Foundation, Safa Trust and International Institute of Islamic Thought and 13 other locations...M. Yaqub Mirza, president of the Saar Foundation and vice president of the Safa Trust; Taha J. Alalwani, a founder of the International Institute of Islamic Thought; Jamal M. Barzinji, a president of the trust and institute secretary; and Hisham Altalib, treasurer for the trust and institute vice president, gave a total of $1,800 to Moran on Jan. 5, 2001."

Moran defended the men, even though at that point Alamoudi had already gone on the record stating that he, Alamoudi was a Hamas supporter. The Post continued:

"Moran will not return the $1,800, he said, because he knows of no illegal activity by the donors. "In our system of justice, you're innocent until proven guilty -- not the reverse," Moran said. "To the extent they contribute in any knowing way to an organization that supports or funds terrorism, I would certainly return any contribution, and I would expect them to be prosecuted as well...

The money came to Moran one day after he defended Muslim activist Abdurahman Alamoudi. President Bush returned a donation by Alamoudi in 2000 after Alamoudi publicly supported Hamas and Hezbollah, groups fighting Israel that the State Department considers to be terrorist organizations. Moran also returned $2,000 from Alamoudi."

Moran, however, only returned the money in February of 2002, a year after President Bush had already returned Bush's Alamoudi contribution. During that year Moran had repeatedly defended Alamoudi (cf. "Moran to Break With Muslim Activist In Response to Jewish Group's Call, Lawmaker Agrees to Return Donations", 2/2/02 Washington Post).

Moran concluded his defense of Bazinji with the following rhetorical flourish: "Moran said he has worked with Muslim individuals and groups 'to ensure that they matter as much as every other American in terms of their civil rights and liberties. I intend to be good to my word.'"

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