Muslim Mafia

Muslim Mafia Author Appears To Completely Fold In CAIR Lawsuit

Justin Elliott | November 20, 2009, 9:43AM

Muslim Mafia Co-Author David Gaubatz

The author of the book Muslim Mafia, which was based on documents taken by the author's son while he was posing as a Muslim intern at the Council on American Islamic Relations, has agreed to return all documents and recordings obtained during the time at CAIR, according to a draft consent order filed in court yesterday.

The draft order, agreed to by attorneys for CAIR as well as for Dave Gaubatz and his son Chris, was filed along with a joint motion asking the judge to enter the order.

Read more »

Muslim Mafia

Tom Coburn Joins Campaign Against Muslim Group

Justin Elliott | November 18, 2009, 10:53AM

Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK)

Via Dave Weigel, it looks like Tom Coburn (R-OK) has become the first senator to cast his lot with the group of House Republicans pursuing a campaign against the Council on American Islamic Relations.

Though not explicitly invoked in a new letter to the IRS, the effort stems from purported revelations in the book Muslim Mafia, whose author recently made -- then retracted -- a call for a "backlash" against Muslims in the wake of the Fort Hood shootings.

Read more »

Muslim Mafia

Wanted (Urgent): Winnebago, Two Motorcycles, $25K For Muslim Watcher's Latest Project

Justin Elliott | November 16, 2009, 3:24PM

Dave Gaubatz (inset)

Muslim Mafia scribe Dave Gaubatz is planning an investigative counterterrorism project in the Sunni mosques of North Carolina, and one lucky donor to the project will be invited to join his crack team of researchers. Needed for the job, according to an "urgent" post on Gaubatz's blog: $25,000, two motorcycles, and use of one class A RV for 30 days.

The project starts Dec. 5 and the "highest donor can travel on team" and "will work alongside Dave Gaubatz the entire 30 days," according to the cached version of the blog post.

Read more »

Dave Gaubatz

Gaubatz: When I Called For Backlash Against 'Muslim Community,' I Meant To Type 'Muslim Brotherhood'

Justin Elliott | November 11, 2009, 5:04PM

Muslim Mafia Co-Author David Gaubatz

A conservative author's call for a backlash against the "Muslim community" earlier this week was nothing more than an honest typing error, the editor of the Web site that interviewed Dave Gaubatz tells TPMmuckraker.

Gaubatz's statement -- "Now is the time for a professional and legal backlash against the Muslim community and their leaders" -- was scrubbed from the Web site of Family Security Matters after it was reported by TPMmuckraker. The phrase Muslim community was altered to read "Muslim Brotherhood."

Read more »

Family Security Matters

Scrubbed: Call For Backlash Against Muslims Embarrasses Even Right-Wing Think Tank

Justin Elliott | November 10, 2009, 5:39PM

Muslim Mafia Co-Author David Gaubatz

We don't know if this is reason for hope, or just low comedy. But the right-wing think tank that published conservative author Dave Gaubatz's call for a backlash against the "Muslim community" has now scrubbed the line and replaced it with a call for a backlash against the "Muslim Brotherhood."

Here's how the passage of the Fort Hood Q&A with Gaubatz, the author of Muslim Mafia, read on Monday (see a screengrab of the original here):

Read more »

Sue Myrick

GOP Rep Won't Denounce Call For Backlash Against American Muslims

Justin Elliott | November 10, 2009, 2:51PM

Reps. John Shadegg (R-AZ), Paul Broun (R-GA) and Sue Myrick (R-NC) at an October news conference about CAIR and Muslim Mafia

Yesterday, the conservative author of the new book Muslim Mafia, the foreword of which was penned by Rep. Sue Myrick (R-NC), explicitly called for a "professional and legal backlash against the Muslim community and their leaders" in response to the Fort Hood shootings.

So last night, we called Myrick's office to see if she had a response to Dave Gaubatz's remarks, given that his book, with her foreword, was released just last month. Since then, Myrick and three other House Republicans have cited the book as the source of their calls for a probe of Muslim intern "spies" in Congress.

Read more »

Fort Hood Shootings

Muslim Mafia Author: Now Is The Time For A 'Backlash' Against Muslims

Justin Elliott | November 9, 2009, 3:51PM

Muslim Mafia Co-Author David Gaubatz and Major Nidal Malik Hasan

A conservative author whose book was touted just last month by four Republican members of Congress is explicitly calling for a "backlash" against American Muslims in the wake of the Fort Hood shootings.

Dave Gaubatz, author of Muslim Mafia: Inside the Secret Underworld that's Conspiring to Islamize America, made the comment in a semi-coherent interview with the group Family Security Matters.

In assigning collective blame for the Fort Hood killings, Gaubatz said:

Read more »

Fort Hood Shootings

Muslim Mafia Booster Rep. Myrick: I'm On The Hasan Case

Justin Elliott | November 6, 2009, 6:27PM

Rep. Sue Myrick (R-NC)

Rep. Sue Myrick (R-NC), who wrote the foreword to Muslim Mafia: Inside the Secret Underworld that's Conspiring to Islamize America, said today she is "very concerned" about infiltration of the military by jihadists.

"We can't continue to be so politically correct that we're going to say this wasn't religiously motivated," Myrick told the Charlotte, North Carolina, CBS affiliate. She noted the reports that Nidal Malik Hasan shouted "Allahu Akbar" before he allegedly opened fire in the shooting spree at Fort Hood Thursday.

Read more »

Nidal Malik Hasan

Conservative Says Hasan Acted On Orders Of Muslim Brotherhood: What Do We Know?

Justin Elliott | November 6, 2009, 11:02AM

FBI agents outside the apartment of Major Nidal Malik Hasan (inset)

One conservative writer is already declaring -- without citing any evidence -- that Major Nidal Malik Hasan, the alleged shooter who killed 13 at Fort Hood yesterday, was acting at the behest of the Muslim Brotherhood. So it's a good time to lay out what we do and don't know about the Fort Hood shooting case and the Army psychiatrist at the center of it.

In an interview with Frontpagemag, author Dave Gaubatz blames the Fort Hood killings on, among other Muslim groups, the Council on American-Islamic Relations. He says that Hasan was carrying out "the orders of the Muslim Brotherhood." And he suggests that Hasan was sent out by radical Muslim leaders:

Read more »

Daniel Horowitz

Attorney From Michael Savage 'Book Of Hate' Koran Suit Tapped By Muslim Mafia Authors

Justin Elliott | November 4, 2009, 11:46AM

Daniel Horowitz and Michael Savage (inset)

Daniel Horowitz, the attorney who represented shock jock Michael Savage in his recent copyright infringement suit against the Council on American-Islamic Relations, is set to go up against CAIR again as counsel for the co-author of Muslim Mafia.

And, Horowitz told TPMmuckraker in a phone interview this morning, he's relishing the opportunity for Round Two with the Muslim civil rights group.

A judge ruled mostly in CAIR's favor yesterday in a suit seeking to block Dave Gaubatz from publishing documents taken by his son Chris, who went undercover as a Muslim intern at CAIR.

Read more »

Muslim Mafia

Judge Bars Muslim Mafia Authors From Publishing Docs Lifted From CAIR

Justin Elliott | November 4, 2009, 10:27AM

Muslim Mafia Co-Author David Gaubatz

A federal judge yesterday granted a request by the Council on American-Islamic Relations to block the authors of Muslim Mafia from publishing any of the documents taken by Chris Gaubatz while he was posing as an intern during a "counterintelligence operation" for the book.

Separately, Muslim Mafia author Dave Gaubatz and his son Chris are now being represented by the lawyer who represented shock jock Michael Savage in his 2007 copyright infringement suit against CAIR. We'll have more on this soon.

Read more »

Muslim Mafia

CAIR Sues 'Muslim Mafia' Author Over Property Lifted By Undercover Intern

Justin Elliott | November 2, 2009, 2:45PM

Muslim Mafia Co-Author David Gaubatz

The Council on American-Islamic Relations has sued the author of Muslim Mafia, a book that sparked calls by four House Republicans for an investigation into intern spies, seeking the return of documents taken by the author's son while he was posing as a Muslim and interning at CAIR's Washington office.

The suit alleges that Chris Gaubatz, son of book co-author Dave Gaubatz, took over 12,000 documents along with electronic information when he was posing as convert Dave Marshall in 2008. It quotes the book itself, which says Gaubatz routinely loaded the trunk of his car with the files.

Politico's Josh Gerstein reports:

Read more »

Intern Spy Probe

87-Member Minority Caucus: Muslim 'Intern Spy' Hunt Smacks Of McCarthy Era

Justin Elliott | October 23, 2009, 4:36PM

Rep. Barbara Lee (at podium) with other members of the Congressional Tri-Caucus.

In a strongly-worded statement today, the Congressional Tri-Caucus, which represents three minority caucuses, denounced a call by four GOP lawmakers for an investigation into whether Muslim "intern spies" have infiltrated the Hill.

"These charges smack of an America of sixty years ago where lists of 'un-American' agitators were identified," said Reps. Michael Honda (D-CA), Barbara Lee (D-CA), and Nydia Velazquez (D-NY). They are the chairs of the Asian Pacific American Caucus, the Black Caucus, and the Hispanic Caucus, respectively.

Read more »

John Shadegg

GOP Reps File Request With Sergeant At Arms For Muslim 'Intern Spy' Investigation

Justin Elliott | October 22, 2009, 4:20PM

Rep. John Shadegg (R-AZ), Rep. Paul Broun, (R-GA), Rep. Sue Myrick (R-NC), and Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ)

After a week delay, four Republican lawmakers have formally asked the House sergeant at arms to investigate whether a Muslim advocacy group placed interns in national security committees, a spokesperson for the sergeant at arms confirmed to TPMmuckraker this afternoon.

Spokesperson Kerri Hanley would only say that a letter requesting a probe of the Council on American Islamic Relations was received today and that it is under review.

The letter, which you can read in full here, claims that CAIR is tied to "HAMAS" and cites the new WND-published book Muslim Mafia, written by a man who has labeled President Obama "Muslim":

Read more »

Muslim Mafia

White House Says President Hasn't Talked About Intern 'Spy' Accusations On Capitol Hill

Christina Bellantoni | October 19, 2009, 3:59PM

Rep. Andre Carson (D-IN) and "CAIR intern" Dave Marshall, aka Chris Gaubatz

TPM asked White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs during his briefing today about the Republicans who claim the Council on American Islamic Relations planted Muslim spies on Capitol Hill.

When we asked if President Obama was aware of the Republican charges, which have not moved an inch since they first announced the claims last week, Gibbs demurred.

Read more »

Muslim Mafia

GOP Lawmakers Dawdle While Muslim 'Intern Spies' May Be Conspiring Further

Justin Elliott | October 19, 2009, 12:34PM

Rep. John Shadegg (R-AZ), Rep. Paul Broun, (R-GA), Rep. Sue Myrick (R-NC), and Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ)

Four Republican lawmakers have not submitted a request to the House sergeant at arms to investigate a threat that one of the four described as a terrorist-linked group possibly "running influence operations or planting spies in key national security-related offices."

A spokesperson for the sergeant at arms told TPMmuckraker this morning that the office was aware of the charge by GOP members at a press conference Wednesday that the Council on American-Islamic Relations planted Muslim intern spies on the Hill for purposes of subversion. But, says spokesperson Kerri Hanley, the office hasn't received a request for an investigation, and it wouldn't launch any probe until such a request is made.

Read more »

Suhail Khan

Muslim Ex-Bush Official: 'Intern Spy' Hunt Threatens Careers Of Good Americans

Justin Elliott | October 16, 2009, 5:42PM

Suhail Khan

Suhail Khan has seen this happen before. He was working as a senior political appointee for the Bush White House through Sept. 11, 2001, until this past January.

The same crowd of what he calls "professional bigots" -- people, he says, like Frank Gaffney and Dave Gaubatz -- have launched campaigns against specific Muslims working in the government, accusing them of terrorist sympathies.

The only thing different about the call by four House Republicans this week for authorities to investigate alleged "infiltration" of the Hill by Muslim interns, Khan told TPMmuckraker today, is that "they're not going after individuals by name."

Read more »

Muslim Mafia

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

Justin Elliott | October 16, 2009, 4:52PM

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

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.

Read more »

Sue Myrick

Myrick's Office Hasn't Submitted Muslim 'Intern Spy' Probe Requests Yet

Justin Elliott | October 16, 2009, 4:00PM

Remember how the House sergeant at arms hadn't heard of the call Wednesday by four GOP lawmakers for a probe of alleged infiltration of the Hill by Muslim intern subversives?

It turns out that's because Rep. Sue Myrick (R-NC), the de facto leader of the group, who also wrote the foreword for the book on which the charges are based, hasn't yet submitted a request for an investigation, Myrick's office tells TPMmuckraker.

Read more »

Loretta Sanchez

Sanchez On 'Muslim Intern Spy' Hunt: 'I Am Appalled'

Justin Elliott | October 15, 2009, 6:12PM

Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA)

We told you earlier about the strong statements from Reps. John Conyers (D-MI) and André Carson (D-IN) denouncing the call by four Republicans for the sergeant at arms to probe whether a Muslim advocacy group planted "intern spies" on the Hill.

But it looks like Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) was first out of the gate on this one.

She released this statement yesterday:

Read more »

Dave Gaubatz

Meet The Man Behind The Intern Spy Wars: Muslim Mafia Author Dave Gaubatz

Justin Elliott | October 15, 2009, 5:18PM

Muslim Mafia Co-Author David Gaubatz

Let's take a closer look at the co-author of Muslim Mafia: Inside the Secret Underworld That's Conspiring to Islamize America, just out from WND Books, and now at #16 among all books on Amazon.

That would be David Gaubatz, a former Air Force investigator and Arabic speaker, who dispatched his son Chris to grow a beard and go undercover as a Muslim to obtain an internship at the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Gaubatz, who has long warned about the threat of Islamism in the United States, has claimed that he found Saddam's long-lost WMDs while in Iraq and has labeled Obama "Muslim" and a "self-admitted 'crack head.'"

Read more »

CAIR

Dem Rep Who Posed With Fake Intern Condemns GOP Anti-Muslim 'Fearmongering'

Christina Bellantoni | October 15, 2009, 3:58PM

Rep. Andre Carson (D-IN) and "CAIR intern" Dave Marshall, aka Chris Gaubatz

Rep. André Carson had no idea the guy he posed with at an Islamic event was a fake intern, and thinks the accusations that the Council on American Islamic Relations planted spies on Capitol Hill is "shameful."

A spokesman for Carson (D-IN), one of two Muslim members of Congress, told TPM the campaign to investigate whether CAIR spies were interns is "fearmongering at its worst."

Justin Ohlemiller, Carson's communications director, said in an interview the photo is one of dozens members of Congress take every week with constituents and at events. He didn't know the man was pretending to be Muslim and doesn't recall interacting with him.

Read more »

André Carson

Right-Wing Spy Posing As Muslim Intern Snagged Pic With Congressman

Justin Elliott | October 15, 2009, 1:21PM

Rep. Andre Carson (D-IN) and "CAIR intern" Dave Marshall, aka Chris Gaubatz

Chris Gaubatz, who went undercover as a Muslim to infiltrate the Council on American-Islamic Relations for a new book from WorldNetDaily, posed for a picture with Muslim Democratic Rep. André Carson (IN) while under guise as "CAIR intern" Dave Marshall.

The picture with Carson, who became the second Muslim member of Congress when he took office in 2008, was taken at the convention of the Islamic Society of North America in Ohio last year.

Read more »

Sue Myrick

GOP Rep Takes Campaign Against Muslim 'Intern Spies' To Fox

Justin Elliott | October 15, 2009, 12:36PM

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

Rep. Sue Myrick (R-NC) is today pressing on in the campaign against supposed infiltration of terrorist-linked Muslim interns in key national security committees on Capitol Hill.

As we told you yesterday, the charges are based on a book published by WorldNetDaily, which draws on the work of an actual intern spy, the son of the co-author who went undercover at the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

An animated Myrick complained on Fox News this morning that "quite frankly, [CAIR makes] everybody else look like they're being paranoid by saying anything about them."

Here's the video of the Myrick segment:

Read more »

Intern Spy vs. Intern Spy

Citing Work Of Right-Wing Intern Spy, GOP Accuses Muslim Group Of Infiltrating Hill With Intern 'Spies'

Justin Elliott | October 14, 2009, 5:56PM

Reps. John Shadegg (R-AZ), Paul Broun (R-GA) and Sue Myrick (R-NC) at an October news conference about CAIR and Muslim Mafia

Four House Republicans are charging that the Council on American Islamic Relations is infiltrating Capitol Hill with undercover interns, and they're basing the charge on a WND-published book that itself is based on the work of a man who posed as a Muslim to infiltrate CAIR as ... an intern!

In other words, it's Intern Spy vs. Intern Spy.

As Greg Sargent notes, the office of Rep. Sue Myrick (R-NC) does not have a list of the "Manchurian Interns" that she claims may have penetrated national security-related committees.

Read more »