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Interview: Man Who Went Undercover As Muslim Intern Speaks To TPM

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CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad shakes hands with intern Chris Gaubatz, aka David Marshall.

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Your mission, should you choose to accept it: Change your name. Grow a beard and learn the ways of Islam. Present yourself at the Council on American Islamic Relations. Acquire an internship. Wear a wire. Take whatever isn't bolted down.

That's the mission Chris Gaubatz accepted last year. And Gaubatz, who sells insurance for a living, told TPMmuckraker in an email interview that he never once felt guilty during the six months as a Muslim intern spy and that, well, some of the CAIR folks were pretty darn nice, despite any terrorist sympathies.

His father co-authored the new book Muslim Mafia based on the allegedly incriminating documents Chris took. Citing the documents, four House Republicans have charged that CAIR dispatched Muslim intern spies to key national security committees, calling for authorities to investigate.

"They were nice people and I got along with them very well which is why I was able to retrieve the information I did," Gaubatz says. "But just because somebody is outwardly friendly doesn't mean they can't be doing something wrong or even harming National Security."

Gaubatz, whose father coordinated the project, says he's unbowed by CAIR's charge that he stole documents.

And asked about his father's statement that Barack Obama is Muslim, Gaubatz responded, "Obama's religious affiliation has nothing to do with my reasoning for gathering information on the organization."


Here's the full interview (edited for clarity):

Q: How did you decide to go undercover for CAIR?

A: I was approached by my father for the project who was a special agent for the Air Force for 15 years with top secret clearance. My dad asked for my help because, as with any investigative project,he needed someone to go inside the organization that he trusted to follow directions.

Q: Did you ever come close to having your cover blown?

A: Only once did I almost have my cover blown, which is documented in the introduction of Muslim Mafia. For the entire six months, I wore a button camera on my shirt, but at the beginning of my internship the button-cam popped off. I was sitting in the middle of about 30-40 other CAIR employees at a conference on how to deal strategically with the media. One of the other researchers happened to be with me and noticed the camera was gone. I acted like I was coughing, and slipped out to replace the camera.

Q: Did you ever feel guilty?

A: Not at all.

Q: Did you find any nice people at CAIR?

A: They were nice people and I got along with them very well which is why I was able to retrieve the information I did, but just because somebody is outwardly friendly doesn't mean they can't be doing something wrong or even harming National Security.

Q: How do you respond to the charges by CAIR that you stole documents?

A: The entire project was coordinated by my father, who has more than 20 years of investigative experience and who further coordinated with attorneys, law enforcement and members of the government throughout the process to make sure we were following legal guidelines. I was preserving evidence that CAIR asked me to destroy. To go along with their destruction would have been against both state and federal law. Also, CAIR's leaders gave me full authority to handle those documents they were throwing away. Having worked inside CAIR--as un unpaid intern, by the way--I know firsthand that their statements are intimidation tactics, and since we have the truth on our side, its easy for me to call their bluff and not worry about their allegations.

Q: Do you agree with your father's charge that Obama is a Muslim?

A: Obama's religious affiliation has nothing to do with my reasoning for gathering information on the organization.

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38 comments

Recommend Recommend (12)

October 16, 2009 4:58 PM   

Did Chris Gaubatz do this for free or was he financed by David Yerushalmi, legal counsel for Frank Gaffney's Center For Security Policy? Yerushalmi is also behind SANE.

Who is funding this operation? Sheldon Adelson is a likely suspect but with the downturn in his financial condition, I don't know if he would still choose to do so.

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October 16, 2009 7:46 PM    in reply to Mrs Panstreppon

Note: On his website, DaveGaubatz.org, P. David Gaubatz links to the SANE website.

The SANE website links to David Yerushalmi's website. In the news section, there is a link to David Horowitz's Front Page interview of Yerushalmi in connection with the CAIR racketeering lawsuit.

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October 16, 2009 7:49 PM    in reply to Mrs Panstreppon

"FP: So what’s the basis of the lawsuit?

Yerushalmi: The basis is that AIG—which is now a state actor by virtue of the USG’s control and ownership of 79.9%—intentionally promotes Sharia-compliant businesses and insurance products, which by necessity must comply with the 1200 year old body of Islamic law based on the Qur’an and other Islamic canon, which demands the conversion, subjugation, or destruction of the infidel West, including the United States.

To help achieve these objectives and with the aid of 150 billion of federal tax dollars, AIG employs a three-person Shariah Advisory Board, with members from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Pakistan. According to AIG, the role of its Sharia authority "is to review [its] operations, supervise its development of Islamic products, and determine Sharia compliance of these products and [its] investments." What AIG and the US government won’t tell you is that Sharia is a body of Islamic law and jurisprudence that seeks a one world hegemony or Caliphate and advocates jihad or murder as a legitimate, legal, and even obligatory means to that end."

For fuck's sake... how much more crackers can these crackpots be. AIG's "Shariah Advisory Board"... what a riot.

John

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October 16, 2009 8:02 PM    in reply to tosh

Oops! The AIG sharia lawsuit is Yerushalmi's other crackpot case. On the SANE website, there are a slew of docs about it including correspondence sent to Jon Kyl and Henry Paulson.

The interview regarding the CAIR racketeering lawsuit is here.

Clearly, one of the intentions here is to drive up CAIR legal bills.

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October 17, 2009 4:59 PM    in reply to tosh

Usury (charging interest) is forbidden under Muslim/Sharia law. I believe a lot of Western financial institutions are trying to develop compatible practices to attract Muslim customers. About as sinister as making sure you don't offer a ham sandwich to a Jewish client.

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October 16, 2009 5:15 PM   

Here is a link to Chris Gaubatz's affadavit of service in the CAIR racketeering case.

The affadavit, along with other docs related to the case, are posted on the SANE website which is now a paid access site only.


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October 16, 2009 5:23 PM   

Here is a profile of David Yerushalmi by Richard Silverstein who has an encyclopedic knowledge of the Jewish far right.

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October 16, 2009 7:53 PM    in reply to Mrs Panstreppon

Working link to Richard Silverstein's Yerushalmi profile here.

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October 16, 2009 9:07 PM    in reply to Mrs Panstreppon

As I noted in another post, SANE paid $149k to David Gaubatz for research in 2007, according to SANE's 2007 990.

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October 16, 2009 9:53 PM    in reply to Mrs Panstreppon

More on the despicable David Yerushalmi from Richard Silverstein here.

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October 16, 2009 6:11 PM   

They were nice people and I got along with them very well which is why I was able to retrieve the information I did, but just because somebody is outwardly friendly doesn't mean they can't be doing something wrong or even harming National Security.

That's the most apt description of the C-Streeters I've ever read. When can we expect the Gaubatz's investigation of that crew, which has actual Congresscritters rather than low-level interns?

Oh wait, they're Repubs, so it's OK.

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October 16, 2009 6:42 PM   

I'm still waiting to hear what was found that was "wrong" or "harming national security"...besides just being lobbyists (but that's a different topic).

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October 16, 2009 7:11 PM    in reply to ohyeathatsright

Aren't you paying attention? They're MUSLIMS!!!!!! Muslims right there in the Capitol of this great nation! Muslims lobbying and engaging in P.R. campaigns for Islamic Musliminess. National security. Muslims.

Hope that clears things up for you.

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October 16, 2009 7:24 PM    in reply to The Commenter Formerly Known as NCSteve

Traitors, by definition.

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October 16, 2009 7:28 PM    in reply to The Commenter Formerly Known as NCSteve

Didn't YOU hear? It's totally not about Muslims!
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/10/myricks_office_hasnt_submitted_muslim_intern_spy_p.php?ref=fpa
It just so happens to be the name of the book...that she wrote a forward to...

This insanity has to stop...

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October 16, 2009 7:09 PM   

"But just because somebody is outwardly friendly doesn't mean they can't be doing something wrong or even harming National Security."

I've heard the same thing said about George W Bush.

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October 16, 2009 7:35 PM   

"But just because somebody is outwardly friendly doesn't mean they can't be doing something wrong or even harming National Security."

Sounds like he could be talking about himself.

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October 16, 2009 8:03 PM    in reply to creo13

You are right. The term for it is projection - ascribing to another person feelings, thoughts, or attitudes present in oneself.

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October 16, 2009 8:53 PM   

This whole story has such a "fish in a barrel" feel to it. Add that to the 4 - count'em FOUR - GOP reps going public with loud calls for attention, and I'm actually starting to think I would be surprised if the Dad and son team weren't holding back some bombshell about a CAIR official. It's a perfect setup- Rightwing batshit nutjob (and son) go on their witch hunt and turn up little to nothing, but maybe a loose thread from some real terrorist dude that's entwined a bit with CAIR becomes known. Perfect - release the swill they have about CAIR and pump it up to be all heady dangerous National Security evil, secret badstuff - cue the moderate and leftish news outlets to point out how they should be more respectful of all our fellow citizens, regardless of their inclinations toward Islam, cause their story doesn't amount to crap. Now what happens if a somewhat credible report of an alleged baddie terrorist suspect, with some even remote association with CAIR hits the news? TOLD YOU SO!! We risked it all to expose the evildoers! Liberals hate protecting America!

Hope I'm wrong.

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October 16, 2009 9:21 PM   

"coordinated with attorneys, law enforcement and members of the government throughout the process to make sure we were following legal guidelines"

So not only did two private citizen, Christian cloak and dagger men penetrate CAIR's inner workings, but they had lawyers, cops and g-men appraised and approving of the operation in real time? That's a very interesting claim. Who were the law enforcement and government officials who approved of this?

The son makes an interesting string of claims about the documents he spirited away with:

-Cair considered them confidential
-He would be breaking the law to destroy them
-They are "evidence"
-They were shared with him freely by CAIR
-Cair asked him to destroy them
-Cair no longer has claim to their confidentiality because he works there (after lying to them), and that means he has full rights to the confidential/evidence/trash documents
-Cops and government employees were all good with it the whole time

A few contradictions wrapped in enigmas here

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October 17, 2009 9:27 AM    in reply to unknowncitizen

unknown asks;

Who were the law enforcement and government officials who approved of this?

John Yoo, Alberto Gonzales, and David Addington.

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October 16, 2009 9:25 PM   

They got infiltrated by the guy from the Lucky Charms box?

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October 16, 2009 10:41 PM    in reply to robcat2075

He looks like the lamest Muslim recruit of all time. He's either Amish or a roadie for the Spin Doctors.

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October 16, 2009 10:01 PM   

Doesn't this strike anyone as similar to the tactics used to "expose the corruption within ACORN?" Send a person under an alias and false pretenses to allegedly find/uncover wrong-doing (that's presumed only by those setting up this pseudo-sting).

The fact that this yahoo and his son got a book deal and are raking in money thanks to GOP-backed interest groups pumping up its sales numbers makes this author ill.

Steven

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October 17, 2009 6:03 AM    in reply to Steven Schend

Somewhat similar, except that the ACORN nitwits at least were doing something wrong, even if it didn't justify all the crap that came afterwards. I still don't see anything wrong here?

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October 17, 2009 1:24 AM   

Anticipate more of the infiltration attacks in the future. These swine have time and money and the worst of intentions. Any opportunity they can see to weaken us will be used. God knows they aren't capable of doing anything positive!!

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October 17, 2009 8:40 AM   

Republicans really have A Rep For Every Mission
http://rectonoverso.wordpress.com/2009/10/17/a-rep-for-every-mission/

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October 17, 2009 9:23 AM   

So, let me guess--his next undercover gig will probably be the American Christian fundamentalist "Family"? (Yeah, right...)

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October 17, 2009 10:23 AM   

I think that Gaubatz would have made a good Nazi. Just replace the word "Muslim" with "Jew" in the articles about what this creep did.

When I was a kid, I used to wonder how anyone could have become a Nazi. As an adult, I see now that many, many people are capable, if not eager, to become Nazis by any other name.

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October 17, 2009 10:54 AM   

Judging by the picture, he's all set to infiltrate the Amish next.

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October 17, 2009 11:08 AM    in reply to Steve Vokers

He does look a little like Cousin Mose.

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October 17, 2009 11:32 AM   

So if we take this as it's developed, there's been exactly one "intern spy" (who was not, in reality, Muslim) in the whole escapade.

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October 17, 2009 11:47 AM   

This Muslim nonsense ain't nothing! I hear there are Jewish organisations dedicated to enabling Jews (the ones who call themselves "Zionists" that is) to set up and continue a militarily expansionist and Jewish supremacist country, and get billions in US government support for it, all at the expense of the indigenous people there.
Israel, a country for Jews who are fanatically devoted to a 19th Century British Public School Biblical geography.

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October 17, 2009 12:29 PM    in reply to Mooser

Hey, those Israelis ain't nothing, either! I hear there are organizations dedicated to enabling whites and blacks and browns (the ones who call themselves "Americans" that is) to maintain and continue a militarily expansionist and non-Native American supremacists country, and spend billions of their own tax dollars for it, all at the expense of the indigenous people there (the descendants of the ones who survived the genocide, that is). The United States, a country for whites and blacks and browns who are fanatically devoted to an early 19th Century worry about European powers taking over former colonies in the New World.

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October 18, 2009 10:12 AM   

Wow! After reading all of these comments I guess there are too many posters under the belief CAIR is squeaky clean with no Islamic agenda. This nation (The United States of America) and our founding documents are in complete antagonism to the tenants of Islam thus CAIR. Islam does not truly allow freewill… otherwise there would be Catholic, Protestant, Lutheran, Non-denominational Churches all around Mecca… with a nice sprinkling of Jewish Synagogues, unfortunately this is not the case.

Islam as a belief system and its adherents are expansionist by belief and thirst for domination of the world and mankind. Laugh if you must; if you do not understand this simple fact you are even more ignorant then the adherents of mohammadism.

Take a journey back into history and the method of spreading the usurping beliefs of Islam. If you want, try and make a valid comparison to the spread of Christianity… the spread of Islam was done as viciously as any ideology could be spread. Modern day comparisons would be the rise of Communism and later Stalinism and Maoism, all being just as viciously imposed upon the people.

In this modern world a mild sprinkling of the olden days would not be so bad; when you think about the olden days just take a look around the world where there is strife… do I need to give you some hints…

Throughout the Muslim lands of Southeast Asia, throughout the Muslim lands of Central Asia, throughout the Muslim lands of South Central Asia, throughout the Muslim lands of Southwest Asia, throughout the Muslim lands of Eastern Africa and Northern Africa and totally about 1/3 or more of Africa… and now these adherents of the so called “Religion of Peace” are in the process of spreading their form of love around the rest of the globe through deceit and blatant lies and when that does not work… with one cut throat or decapitation at a time.

Islamist wants to make you subservient, convert or eliminate you if you are not of their belief. Even when you are of their belief but of an alternate denomination (Sunni, Shiite, Zora, Bahia ….) when they cannot make infidels subservient, convert or eliminated they turn on each other within the mohammad belief system. One has only to look around the world and into the history of Islamism to see this has been happening for many years.

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October 18, 2009 1:23 PM    in reply to Bozkurt

This nation (The United States of America) and our founding documents are in complete antagonism to the tenants of Islam thus CAIR. Islam does not truly allow freewill…

I think you mean "tenets" of Islam.

Scott Horton interviews Glenn Greenwald about "The Muslim Mafia" and the plot to destroy CAIR here.

Definitely worth a listen.

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October 19, 2009 9:21 AM    in reply to Mrs Panstreppon

Yes, I'm with you Mrs. Panstrep. I'm very concerned about CAIR and their attempts to infiltrate the US and promote radical pro terrorist ideas and support them. I don't understand how they think they can be trusted when they pick and choose small snippets of what someone says and try and imply something they never said. I guess they hope no one will ever check up on them. But they lose credibility when they treat people disrespectfully and purposefully misuse their words. Whatever you think of Gaubatz and his father - it seems that his father risked his life to save Muslims in Iraq and has some very close Muslim friends so I doubt he is anti-Islam in general - probably just anti-radical Islam - but whatever you think of him, I think the evidence his son Chris uncovered needs to be thoroughly checked out. If he is fabricating it, he should be prosecuted. If it is genuine as he is claiming, then something must be done about CAIR. We CANNOT have this kind of anti-US pro-terrorism group in the US. I don't know where he got his funding and I don't care. He has genuine documents and no matter what their motives, the evidence he has uncovered is VERY concerning and needs to be genuinely examined. If his documents are genuine, then he has done this country a great service. Every peace loving Muslim should be grateful to him because pro-terrorism Islam is a blight on peace loving Muslims.

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October 19, 2009 6:11 PM   

What most non-Muslims are unaware of is the Islamic doctrine known as Al Taqqiya. In short, it permits (even encourages) Muslims to lie through their teeth, including in courts of law, if it will 'advance the cause of Allah'. That is why statements by CAIR and their apologists (like Mrs. Pranstrep) ARE NOT TO BE TRUSTED.

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