Is the President Funding Terrorism?

Fox Business (Link) - David Asman (June 11, 2010)

This is the most provocative question we�ve ever raised on Scoreboard: Did the president just commit taxpayer funds for terrorists?

We don�t ask this to score points, but because we believe this could be one of the most serious breaches of U.S. terror law that we�ve seen since 9/11.

President Obama announced in a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that he�s planning to send $400 million in so-called humanitarian aid to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

The problem is that the Gaza Strip is controlled by a terrorist organization called Hamas. And I use the word �controlled� mildly.

You step out of line with Hamas and they kill you. They also kill innocent civilians outside of Gaza. That�s why they�re on the State Department�s list of terrorist organizations. That�s also why people go to jail for giving money to Hamas.

In 2008, five members of the now-defunct Holy Land Foundation were convicted of funneling money to Hamas and sentenced to prison. The defendants said they �only gave much-needed aid to a volatile region.� That�s essentially what the president is saying about your money that he�ll be sending to Gaza. Of course, we�ll get all the assurances in the world about how the money will be closely watched and none of it will end up in the hands of terrorists.

But we�ve seen this movie before, many times. We know what happens when so-called �humanitarian aid� goes to areas controlled by terrorists. A good portion of the money always finds a way to Swiss bank accounts or to fund more terrorist activity. In the case of the late PLO chief Yasser Arafat, money meant for poor Palestinians went to his Swiss bank accounts and to other terrorists.

And now Arafat�s successor is sitting in the Oval Office, offering the same promises about humanitarian outreach that Arafat once made. Have we learned nothing? Has an historical precedent for misuse of funds ever been clearer? And frankly, could the president actually be violating U.S. law if money �meant for humanitarian aid� ends up in the hands of terrorists?

People have gone to jail for that since 9/11.

This is very serious business, and before one dime of taxpayer money goes to Gaza, a full investigation should be conducted by Congress.