CAIR Debunks Tom Cotton and Elise Stefanik’s Latest Demands for Federal Witch Hunt into Americans Opposed to Gaza Genocide

Muslim civil rights and advocacy group calls for probe of whether Cotton and Stefanik are in concert with Israeli government.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today said it sent a formal letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent responding to a “baseless” request by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Rep.Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) urging the department to investigate CAIR based on discredited conspiracy theories for the benefit of the Israeli government.

CLICK HERE: Read CAIR’s full response letter to Secretary Bessent.

In its response, CAIR called on the Treasury Department to reject Cotton and Stefanik’s “McCarthy-era witch hunt” and instead open an investigation into whether the two lawmakers have violated bribery orForeign Agents Registration Act (FARA) statutes by allegedly promising investigations of U.S. Muslim and Palestinian groups “in exchange for campaign contributions, free travel, or other items of value” from pro-Israel donors and organizations such as AIPAC.

CAIR’s letter also details the Muslim civil rights organization’s three-decade record of defending civil rights and condemning all forms of unjust violence, including terrorism. The letter also cites numerous rulings and independent reports debunking efforts to smear CAIR or link it to any foreign entities.

CAIR Executive Director and co-founder Nihad Awad

In a statement, CAIR Government Affairs Department Director Robert S. McCaw, who sent the letter, said:

“Tom Cotton and Elise Stefanik are Israel First politicians who have spent the past year ignoring the needs of their constituents while demanding pursuing witch hunts into Americans who opposed the genocide in Gaza, all for the benefit of the Israeli government.

“Unlike Mr. Cotton and Ms. Stefanik, who supported the slaughter and starvation of children in Gaza to satisfy their AIPAC donors, CAIR is and always has been an independent voice that answers to the American people, relies on donations from the American people, and opposes all unjust violence, whether hate crimes, terrorism, ethnic cleansing, or genocide. That’s why CAIR condemned both attacks on civilians on Oct. 7th and the genocide in Gaza; it’s called moral consistency, something Mr. Cotton and Ms. Stefanik know nothing about.”

“Mr. Cotton and Ms. Stefanik’s demand that Treasury target our civil rights organization is baseless. It has nothing to do with national security and everything to do with anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian bigotry.

“We urge the government to reject these bad-faith attacks and examine whether Senator Cotton or Representative Stefanik may be targeting Muslim, Palestinian, and student groups in coordination with the Israeli government or in exchange for funding from pro-Israel lobby groups.

“Americans are waking up to the pro-Israel lobby’s ‘Israel-first’ agenda, which uses members of Congress as tools of a foreign government’s interference in our domestic affairs and national policy.

“CAIR and other organizations advocating justice for all, including Palestinians, will not be intimidated by smear campaigns. They plan to continue exercising their constitutional rights, defending civil liberties, and speaking truth to power, whether in defense of human rights abroad or the religious freedom and equal protection of all people here at home, God willing.”

McCaw noted that this is not the first time Senator Cotton or Representative Stefanik have attempted to weaponize federal agencies or their committee roles against Muslim civil-society groups:

August 2025: Senator Cotton sent a nearly identical letter to the Internal Revenue Service demanding an investigation into CAIR’s tax-exempt status. With no sign that the IRS acted on this request, he now appears to be turning to Treasury instead.
August 2025: Cotton also asked the IRS to investigate the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM) and its fiscal sponsor Honor the Earth.
September 2025: Stefanik also sent a letter to the Department of Justice demanding scrutiny ofDoctors Without Borders (MSF), accusing the humanitarian organization of supporting terrorism.
Throughout 2024–2025: Rep. Stefanik, a senior member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, repeatedly used her position to stage politically charged hearings on “antisemitism in higher education,” attacking Muslim student groups, Palestinian solidarity organizations, and university officials critical of Israeli policy.

BACKGROUND:

CAIR national statement that has appeared on ITS website since 2009: “We unequivocally condemn all acts of terrorism, whether carried out by al-Qa’ida, the Real IRA, FARC, Hamas, ETA, or any other group designated by the U.S. Department of State as a ‘Foreign Terrorist Organization.’”
A CAIR memorandum documenting its 30-year history condemning anti-Semitism and terrorism, including suicide bombings by Hamas, titled “A Principled and Consistent Force Against Antisemitism.” Click here to read.
CAIR National Board statement from 2023 that reaffirms its condemnation of attacks on civilians on Oct. 7th.
Op-ed published by CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad in 2023 that affirms his agreement with CAIR’s stance. Click here to read.
CAIR statement on its website noting that the organization’s funding comes from the American people: “CAIR’s operational budget is overwhelmingly funded by donations from the American people. While most of those donations come from American Muslims, many of our donations come from the broader American public. CAIR is happy to receive the support of every individual, whether Muslim, Christian, Jewish, or another belief or way of life, who supports the organization’s mission of promoting justice and mutual understanding. In any given year, a small and negligible percentage of donations to CAIR comes from individuals who are not based in the United States. For example: in 2023, less than one percent of our donors were individuals based outside of America, most of them in Canada, and their contributions represented less than one percent of the total raised that year.”

CAIR and other American Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian organizations will not be intimidated by smear campaigns or politically motivated investigations. They plan to continue exercising their constitutional rights, defending civil liberties, and speaking truth to power, whether in defense of Palestinian human rights abroad or the religious freedom and equal protection of all people here at home.

CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.

La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.

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