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Government Uncovered Freedom of Information Equals Freedom From Corruption Access to information is vital to Judicial Watch's efforts to hold politicians accountable for their actions. Following are excerpts of documents obtained by Judicial Watch through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) during the course of its probe into the terrorist financial network. Background In the wake of the September 11th attacks against the Twin Towers and the Pentagon, Judicial Watch called upon the Bush Administration to immediately take action against organizations known to have financial ties to terrorists. In particular, Judicial Watch called attention to non-profit Muslim organizations raising funds in the United States and delivering them into the hands of terrorists in the Middle East. While the Bush Administration took action against some of these groups, others were initially ignored. The Texas-based Holy Land Foundation, for example, was not listed by the State Department as a supporter of terrorism for months after the terrorist attacks, despite the fact that it had been under investigation by the Clinton Administration's FBI for more than five years. Recent documents obtained by Judicial Watch reveal an effort by Congressman David Bonior, the House Minority Whip, to lobby on behalf of the Holy Land Foundation three months to the day before terrorists launched their cowardly attacks against the United States. Key Excerpts: July 11, 2001 letter from Michigan Congressman and Minority Whip David Bonior to Bush Secretary of State Colin Powell: "Dear Secretary Powell: "I understand that the registration of the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF) and the Islamic African Relief Agency USA (IARA-USA) have been terminated with the US Agency for International Development (USAID). I am troubled that such humanitarian relief organizations can be undermined for undisclosed reasons, and I ask that you look into the situation." "Both HLF and IARA-USA have been informed that their objectives are inconsistent with the national defense and foreign policy interests of the United States." "HLF is an American foundation run by American citizens, and sends millions of dollars each year to provide relief in areas of the world including Kosovo, Turkey, Jordan, and the Palestinian Territories." Relevance: The FBI investigated the Holy Land Foundation during the Clinton Administration and had determined the organization had ties to the terrorist group Hamas. Thomas Pickering, Under Secretary of State in Madeline Albright's State Department, determined that the organization's activities were contrary to the national security interests of the United States, and stripped the HLF of its charity status. Despite these facts, however, a key member of Congress, David Bonior, continued to lobby on behalf of the HLF according to documents uncovered by Judicial Watch. Thanks in part to powerful political allies such as Congressman Bonior, the organization was allowed to continue its fundraising efforts through September 11th , 2001. The Bush Administration finally shut the organization down in December 2001. SIDEBAR: "Mousa Mohamed Abou Marzook, a political leader of HAMAS, provided substantial funds to the Holy Land Foundation in the early 1990s. In 1994, Marzook (who was named a Specially Designated Terrorist by the Treasury Department in 1995) designated the Holy Land Foundation as the primary fund-raising entity for HAMAS in the United States…Holy Land Foundation funds HAMAS-run schools that serve HAMAS ends by encouraging children to become suicide bombers." --The above description was posted on the Bush Administration State Department's Internet site. It begs the question: If the government knew the Holy Land Foundation was raising funds for terrorists in 1994, why was the organization allowed to continue raising funds until December 2001?
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