$20K More Uncovered from Accused Terrorist Funder to GOPAbdul Tawala Ibn Ali Alishtari, indicted two weeks ago for financing terrorists in Afghanistan among other charges, gave more than $35,000 to Republican campaign committees, not $15,000 as was reported earlier.
A $20,000 contribution from Alishtari to the National Republican Senatorial Committee on August 29th, 2003, was not previously reported because his name was misspelled (“Allshtari”) on the NRSC’s disclosure form to the Federal Election Commission (unfortunately, such misspellings are fairly frequent). Alishtari’s online CV stated that he was named an “Inner Circle Member for Life” of the NRSC.
The NRSC announced last week that it was giving Alishtari’s contribution to a “charitable organization” that “benefits our military men and women and their families,” although the spokesperson oddly did not name Alishtari (saying only “a former donor”) or disclose the amount Alishtari gave the committee in the statement.
The National Republican Congressional Committee, on the other hand, has refused to return Alishtari’s money ($15,250 according to PoliticalMoneyLine), preferring instead to wait and see if he is “actually found guilty.”
Alishtari pled not guilty to charges on terrorism financing, material support of terrorism and money laundering.
Update: In case you’re curious about the charity, the AP reports: “The committee gave $20,000 last week to the Fisher House Foundation, which provides housing for families on the grounds of military and Veterans’ Administration hospitals.”