WASHINGTON — A Senate Republican launched an investigation Thursday into American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) over its “alleged ties to Hamas” and its funding of anti-Israel protest groups on US college campuses — including at Columbia University.
Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy (R-La.) announced the investigation at the top of a hearing titled “Antisemitic Disruptions on Campus” — and named nine individuals, including AMP’s leader, with purported links to the US-designated foreign terror group.
“Today as chair of the health committee, I launched an investigation into the American Muslims for Palestine demanding answers about their activities on college campuses,” Cassidy said.
“This group’s leaders have ties to Hamas and helped create the group Students for Justice in Palestine,” he added. “I also requested information from the Justice Department and several universities on these groups.
“We must continue to build upon these efforts. As we saw at Columbia last month, pro-Hamas activists continue to wreak havoc on campuses,” he also said.
“Instead of standing up for Jewish students, too many university officials failed to respond or refused to even condemn these horrific occurrences.”
In a letter to AMP chairman Hatem Bazian, Cassidy listed the group’s troubling reported ties to Hamas as well as those of several of Bazian’s associates, citing research compiled by Foundation for Defense of Democracies senior vice president Jonathan Schanzer.
Those links include:
- Jamal Said: A featured speaker at AMP fundraisers who also helped bring in contributions to the Holy Land Foundation (HLF), a charity shuttered by the feds for funneling roughly $12.4 million to Hamas
- Kifah Mustafa: Another AMP speaker and fundraiser for the HLF
- Salah Sarsour: One of five members on AMP’s national board who purportedly helped fund HLF and Hamas military leader Adel Awadallah, killed in 1998 by Israeli forces
- Mohammed El-Mezain: A 2023 speaker at an AMP-sponsored event and an ex-leader of HLF
- Rafeeq Jaber: An AJP tax accountant and ex-president of the Islamic Association for Palestine (IAP), which was seeded with funding from Hamas leader Mousa Abu Marzook
- Abdelbaset Hamayel: A former leader of IAP and rep for the tax-exempt group KindHearts, which was closed down due to ties with HLF and had its assets frozen by the Treasury Department
- Sufian Nabhan: An ex-AMP national board member
- Osama Abuirshaid: AMP’s executive director who interviewed Marzook for IAP
“AMP received this letter yesterday and will of course respond timely and in accordance with all applicable laws,” responded Christina Jump, AMP’s lead counsel.
“As AMP told the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability last year, and as AMP has responded numerous times in litigation, AMP functions entirely in the United States, raises funds only for itself and within the United States, and does not receive money from nor send money to any other countries,” Jump said.
“AMP functions to serve its stated mission of providing education within the United States on the rich history and culture of Palestine,” she went on.
“AMP supports all students’ rights to free speech. AMP works with many student groups, including high school groups, multiple chapters of Muslim Student Associations, multiple chapters of Jewish Voice for Peace and multiple chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine,” she added.
“AMP neither controls nor directs the budgets, finances or programming for any student group.”
Jump also referred to Cassidy’s letter as full of “unproven allegations from civil lawsuits.”
“In fact, one court ruled that the testimony and presumptions of Jonathan Schanzer, which the March 26 letter cites repeatedly as ‘support,’ does not constitute evidence, and gave it no weight,” she noted.
Cassidy also sent letters to Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel and university leaders at Columbia, Barnard, George Washington University and UCLA.
“Activity that threatens the safety of others is not constitutionally protected free speech, and conduct
that violates campus rules should not be tolerated,” he warned, highlighting the same ties between AMP and SJP.
“Reports of individuals with ties to terrorist groups or their affiliates engaging with students on college campuses are also cause for the highest alarm.”
The Louisiana Republican has asked for further records from each higher education institution by April 9.
The probe comes on the heels of a lawsuit filed by families of hostages held by Hamas who alleged that anti-Israel groups like SJP had “prior knowledge” of the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attacks.
The activist group proclaimed “we are back” in an Instagram post just hours before the deadly assault, according to the new lawsuit.
Reps for AMP did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
