AG Holder Admits His DOJ Scuttled Case Against CAIR, Whines Bush Did It Too

Two and a half years ago the word GUILTY was read in a Dallas court room a total of 108 times, as a jury convicted the Holy Land foundation, and each of the associated defendants of raising money to fund Hamas terrorism. Implicated along with those convicted was supposed Civil Rights organization CAIR, the Council on American-Islamic Relations which lobbies the government from its headquarters in Washington DC. CAIR was named an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land case, and its leaders are frequent guests Network News Programs, where they are usually called upon to white wash some terrorist act or scream out in protest whenever a terrorist is identified as a radical Muslim.

Earlier this week, Patrick Poole of PJM quoted an unnamed Justice Department official who described how, last year, the U.S. attorney's office in Dallas was ready to indict a founding member CAIR among others, as a follow-up to the Holy Land Foundation terrorism financing case. According to Poole's source those plans were scuttled by some of President Obama's DOJ political appointees.

Yesterday Holder confirmed that story as true, but offered and excuse, Bush's DOJ made a similar decision.  To borrow from my mother, "If Bush's DOJ jumped off the Empire State Building would you?"

"The decision that was reached in this administration was the same that was reached in the Bush administration--a determination made that for a variety of reasons, looking at the facts and the law, a prosecution would not be appropriate. A review was done of that decision in this administration and the conclusion was reached that that earlier decision was an appropriate one," Holder said in response to a question at a wide-ranging briefing for reporters.

Wait a second! Isn't this the same administration that craps on just about everything the Bush administration did?  How can they use "the Bush Administration did it" as an excuse?  Probably because the media won't ask any questions. 

Holder said the "decision wasn’t necessarily about CAIR as it was about a guy, an individual." The attorney general did not name the person in question. However, in a letter to Holder earlier this month, House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Peter King (R-N.Y.) said the decision pertained to CAIR co-founder Omar Ahmad and came over the objection of Dallas-based federal prosecutors handling the investigation.

Evidence those prosecutors presented at the trial of officials of another non-profit Muslim organization, the Holy Land Foundation, suggested that Ahmad attended a 1993 meeting that prosecutors contend was a support meeting for Hamas and involved plotting opposition to the Middle East peace process.

Holder originally told reporters yesterday that the decision to decline prosecution was made by "career folks looking at the evidence." However, later a DOJ spokesman corrected Holder saying that the decision was indeed made by political appointees. Poole's original report said the decision was made by the former head of the National Security Division, David Kris.

Holder said he did not make the decision about whether or not to prosecute the CAIR official. "As attorney general, some folks think that my hands are in every decision that’s made, especially those they disagree with, but that is not the case," the attorney general said.

Yes true, but this is a big and possibly politically explosive decision, don't you think the top guy should be involved? Congressman Peter King thinks so.

But King insisted that Holder should have been monitoring such a significant matter.

"I think the attorney general's hands should be involved in any case involving CAIR and a possible terrorism indictment," King told the Main Justice website. "He should not be hiding behind the decision of the Bush administration, because that decision was made before the Holy Land Foundation was convicted. Once the Holy Land Foundation was convicted, that would make it easier to get an indictment and conviction of CAIR."

The FBI has detailed CAIRs terrorist ties more than once. The decision to quash the CAIR prosecution is just another example of the Obama administration's nasty habit of putting relations with Muslim Countries ahead of the interests of the American People.