When It Rains
It pours: “Terrorist Fundraisers for Obama.” ‘Two years ago, Hatem El-Hady was the chairman of the Toledo, Ohio-based Islamic charity, Kindhearts, which was closed by the US government in February 2006 for terrorist fundraising and all its assets frozen. Today, El-Hady has redirected his fundraising efforts for his newest cause – Barack Obama for President.’
El-Hady has his own dedicated page on Barack Obama’s official website, chronicling his fundraising on behalf of the Democratic Party presidential candidate (his Obama profile established on February 19, 2008 – two years to the day after Kindhearts was raided by the feds). Not only that, but he has none other than Barack Obama’s wife, Michelle Obama, listed as one of his friends (one of her 224 listed friends).
But his leadership of Kindhearts is not the only thing that has brought him scrutiny by federal law enforcement officials. Last summer, El-Hady was questioned by the FBI concerning his knowledge of possible conspirators in a UK-based terror plot.
Hatem El-Hady’s interest in “change” is understandable. Following the closure of Kindhearts, he said in response to the government’s closure of his organization:
“It’s dirty politics,” said Dr. Hatem Elhady, chairman of the board of KindHearts, which raised $5.1 million in 2004. “They do not like the way things are going in Palestine. They do not like the election results. But that is not our problem. Our problem is providing aid to people in desperate need of help.”
The Department of Justice had a very different version of events. According to the DOJ, Kindhearts assumed the role of lead terrorist fundraising in the US after the government had closed other such Islamic “charities”:
“KindHearts is the progeny of Holy Land Foundation and Global Relief Foundation, which attempted to mask their support for terrorism behind the façade of charitable giving,” said Stuart Levey, Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence.
Once again guilty by association? Well, I am one of those people who believe that if you want to know a man, you can look at whom he associates with. Obviously, one doesn’t get the impression that Obama considers this terrorist supporter to be a friend (perhaps one can say the opposite about his wife Michelle, more on that in a minute), but now that media have reported about this man, Obama should distance himself immediately from him. Leading politicians simply have no business getting money from terrorists or those who sympathize with them.
As promised, a bit more on Michelle: Charles Johnson points out that one only becomes a “friend” if the other person accepts the request. The same as it goes with Facebook I believe. So, he seems to argue, Michelle chose to be listed as this man’s friend.
Could be, but what’s more likely is that one of her staffers answers requests, and that this staffer basically accepts every invitation. That means that this staffer – and therefore Michelle Obama – hasn’t gone through the trouble he or she should go through when one works for the possible future First Lady of the US, but it doesn’t mean that the staffer, let alone Michelle, sympathizes with Hatem Elhady.
I have to admit that this comment at LGF had me laughing:
#71 karmic_inquisitor 4/23/08 9:43:42 am reply quote report 2 To save Obama the trouble of issuing a response, will offer the boiler plate. As you read it, imagine Whine-O presenting it to fawning reporters.
“Once again my campaign is being asked to waste time and effort responding to these distractions. Allow me to remind people that, just because my wife is friends with a terrorist fund raiser, and just because the official blogger of my campaign is a Marxist doesn’t mean that I endorse or subscribe to those views.
I happen to know a guy who drives a Hummer – that doesn’t mean I endorse the eco-terrorism that he does.
We are busy trying to save the world and these silly distractions don’t belong in the new politics that we practice.
By the way, did you know that Hillary is a lesbian?”
Even if you support Obama, it seems to me you can laugh about this one. At least, if the roles were reversed, I would be laughing out loud as well.
Topics: everything
Posted by Michael van der Galien at 4:45 pm Comments (3) on Wednesday, April 23, 2008
3 Responses to “When It Rains”
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April 23rd, 2008 at 5:00 pm
In other news, Naval Submariner is crowned Mr Gay UK.
http://www.bgay.com/news/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=342&Itemid=23
Not that there’s anything wrong with that…
April 23rd, 2008 at 5:49 pm
[...] Jules Crittenden sums things up for me: Once again guilty by association? Well, I am one of those people who believe that if you want to know a man, you can look at whom he associates with. Obviously, one doesn’t get the impression that Obama considers this terrorist supporter to be a friend (perhaps one can say the opposite about his wife Michelle, more on that in a minute), but now that media have reported about this man, Obama should distance himself immediately from him. Leading politicians simply have no business getting money from terrorists or those who sympathize with them. [...]
April 23rd, 2008 at 8:00 pm
Obama’s “Brand” Takes Hit in Pennsylvania
“Obama’s brand likely won’t be helped by the news that the Illinois Senator’s got the support of Hatem El-Hady, a fundraiser whose Islamic charity, Kindhearts, was closed in 2006 after the Justice Department determined the organization to be the le…