The California branch of the biggest Islamic charity in the U.S. might lose its tax-exempt status due to its involvement in anti-Israel protests, as reported by The Post.
The Congressional Ways and Means Committee, which oversees tax legislation, is urging the Internal Revenue Service to look into the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in California. This organization is the largest of its kind in the nation.
A letter dated January 13 from Acting U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent indicates that CAIR “provided institutional and material support to several campus events across California, some of which raised legal concerns.”
The letter also bore the signatures of IRS CEO Frank Bisignano and Missouri Congressman Jason Smith, who chairs the committee.
CAIR California’s CEO, Hassam Ailush, responded to this request in a separate letter, denying any wrongdoing and denouncing “hatred, terrorism, and extremism in all its forms.”
“Mr. Smith’s assertions are false,” the attorney for CAIR California stated, emphasizing that the organization has a strong history of legitimate advocacy and collaboration with government entities.
Last year, two watchdog groups demanded a high-level inquiry into CAIR California because over $7 million in federal funds intended for aiding impoverished immigrants mysteriously vanished.
An investigation by the Intelligent Advocacy Network (IAN) revealed that these funds ($7,217,968.44) were sent to CAIR-Greater Los Angeles, even though that branch wasn’t eligible to receive them.
The Greater Los Angeles chapter is not a registered nonprofit and does not meet the requirements to accept charitable donations, according to IAN’s complaint.
“CAIR-CA is suspected of not only supporting class disruptions and campus shutdowns but also of soliciting resources to uphold these encampments,” the letter elaborated.
The Post previously reported that CAIR and another charity had collected donations that included $1,000 checks given as interest-free loans to students participating in anti-Israel protests in October 2024.
Initially, CAIR denied funding the activists involved in these protests, later stating that payments were processed through its national headquarters and not state branches.
In a notable move, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has designated CAIR, along with the Muslim Brotherhood, as a terrorist organization, leading to a lawsuit from CAIR claiming this designation infringes on its First Amendment rights.
