Treasury Investigation Requested Over Alleged Illegal Donations

Rep. Keith Self, a Republican from Texas, has urged the Treasury Department to look into the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) for purportedly making illegal campaign contributions.

Self accused the organization of breaching financial regulations by backing Abdul El-Sayed, who is running as a Democrat for one of Michigan’s two U.S. Senate seats.

In a letter regarding the situation, he stated, “Taxpayers should not be forced to subsidize a nonprofit acting like a campaign committee for the Red-Green Alliance.”

He referenced a report from the Middle East Forum, which claimed that during an ISNA convention at Huntington Place, there was a campaign booth promoting El-Sayed.

The booth was said to feature prominent banners stating “Abdul for U.S. Senate” and “Muslims for Abdul,” with campaign staff actively encouraging attendees to vote for El-Sayed. Reports indicate that campaign materials were distributed, donations solicited, and even invitations to a fundraising event were handed out at the booth. Attendees were also provided with QR codes to donate or volunteer for the campaign, while campaign volunteers were seen throughout the convention promoting El-Sayed’s candidacy.

Self insisted that while the candidate was welcome to attend, 501(c)(3) regulations strictly prohibit nonprofit organizations from endorsing political candidates or facilitating fundraising for political campaigns.

He further noted that ISNA had previously been cited as an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation case, which involved funding the Hamas terrorist group.

Calling on Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Self urged an investigation into ISNA’s activities and its tax-exempt status.

During his statement, he reiterated, “Taxpayers should not be forced to subsidize a nonprofit acting like a campaign committee for the Red-Green Alliance.” He concluded by asserting that the situation requires a detailed review of whether ISNA engaged in political campaign efforts.

Requests for comments from both the Islamic Society of North America and the El-Sayed campaign went unanswered prior to publication.