Roll Call reports:
A report Friday raises new doubts about Rep. Duncan Hunter’s claim that his opponent accepted contributions from an Islamic advocacy group, intensifying criticisms that the congressman has relied on a racist line of attack based on Democratic opponent Ammar Campa-Najjar’s Palestinian heritage in the final stretch of his campaign.
An attack ad casts Democrat Campa-Najjar’s contributions from the Council on American-Islamic Relations as part of a “well-orchestrated plan to infiltrate Congress.” But a new review of Campa-Najjar’s FEC filing uncovered no donations from CAIR. In order to maintain its status as a tax-exempt 501(c)3, the charity must limit its political activity.
The San Diego Union-Tribune reports:
A spokesman for J Street, which is among the United State’s largest pro-Israel groups and considers Hamas a serious threat to Israel’s safety, said J Street “strongly rejects the notion that CAIR is supportive of Islamic extremism” and condemned Hunter’s attacks on Campa-Najjar. The group has endorsed Campa-Najjar.
“Partly why we exist is to help ensure that people can’t get away with these kinds of smears,” Logan Bayroff, a spokesman for J Street, told the Union-Tribune this week. “The facts are that pro-Israel, pro-peace voters in his district and across the country support Campa-Najjar because of his values and positions, and they are appalled by these kinds of attacks.”
Hunter and his wife have been indicted by the feds for stealing $250,000 in campaign money which they allegedly spent on household items, clothing, restaurants, and lavish vacations. Hunter continues to hold a slim lead in the polls.