McCloskey returning campaign check from donor tied to al-Qaeda

AP on Bakersfield Californian ^ | 6/1/06 | Don Thompson - ap

[NormsRevenge]

Congressional candidate Pete McCloskey, running against Rep. Richard Pombo of Tracy in Tuesday's GOP primary, is returning a $2,100 campaign donation he received from a man tied to al-Qaeda.

The money was from M. Yaqub Mirza, a Pakistan native living in Virginia, who has been investigated by the Justice Department for allegedly helping to finance al-Qaeda and Islamic Jihad. Mirza's offices were raided by federal authorities in March 2002.

McCloskey, a moderate former House member who has raised questions about Pombo's ethics, said he's never met Mirza but would return the money.

"This is America, so you are presumed innocent until proven guilty, but I just don't want the appearance of impropriety," McCloskey told the Stockton Record in a story published Thursday. "I'll send it back."

Mirza did not return calls from the Record and could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday by The Associated Press.

McCloskey has courted support from the Muslim community, and also has criticized Israeli foreign policy and praised former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Some of his past comments have been criticized by Pombo's campaign as hostile to Jews, criticism that McCloskey has disputed.

[The Old Hoosier]

This guy is a McKinney donor....

[Parmy]

I wonder if he is tied to any other nefarious contributions. That is probably why Congress is afraid of what is hidden in various computer harddrives.

[H. Paul Pressler IV]

Are you sure he donated to Cynthia McKinney?

That would strike me as odd for as al-Qaeda associate to donate to both McKinney and a GOP Candidate for Congress.

[mewzilla]

McCloskey, a moderate former House member

'Rats. RINOs. What's the diff?

[mwp99]

"This is America, so you are presumed innocent until proven guilty"

...unless you are a United States Marine.

[mewzilla]

And I thought candidates weren't allowed to accept campaign donations from foreign nationals anyway?

[The Old Hoosier]

McCloskey has spoken at Holocaust Denial conferences. He's al Qaeda's kind of Republican.

[GOP_1900AD]

McCloskey invented the idea of being a RINO. I didn't realize that old fart was still alive.

[river rat]

Pakistani this, Pakistani that, Pakistani here, Pakistani their -- damn!

Is there even a single Pakistani anywhere in the world that can be trusted or relied upon?

Or, are they all genetically predispositioned to be murderous, lying backstabbing sonsuvbitches?

Semper Fi

[Right Cal Gal]

...or Tom DeLay

...or Scooter Libby

[caseinpoint]

or Richard Pombo.

McCloskey is a true RINO who campaigned for Kerry. He moved to a rental in the congressional district a few days before declaring his candidacy. Had a chance to see him up close and personal at a debate with Pombo. He was a real low-class act.

His real purpose is to bloody Pombo before the November election. He and Democrat Party leaders are urging Democrats to register as Republicans and vote for him in the primary next week.

[layman]

"I'll send it back."

Our weasel politicians, when caught, always say they will 'send it back', and that's where the MSM story ends. Call me a skeptic, but I'll believe they actually 'sent it back' when I see concrete proof that it really happened. And, call me a hopeless skeptic, but I wouldn't even believe it if I saw the slimy politician place the cold cash into the hand of the scum ball who originally gave it to him because I know that politics is a dirty business and it attracts dirty people.

[KoRn]

The first thing the average person reading about this should think of is why someone tied to terrorism would support her.

[So Cal Rocket]

Results:

12 records found in 0.0938 seconds.
 

Search Criteria: Donor name: mirza Donor State: VA Cycle(s) selected: 2006, 2004, 2002 Start another search

Sort by Name Sort by Date Sort by Amount

Total for this search: $4,300

Contributor	Occupation	Date	Amount	Recipient
MIRZA, M YAQUB HERNDON,VA 20170	SAAR FOUNDATION	12/12/2001	$1,000	National Republican Senatorial Cmte
MIRZA, M YAQUB HERNDON,VA 20170	SAAR INTERNATIONAL/TREASURER	5/21/2002	$1,000	Moran, Jim
MIRZA, M YAQUB HERNDON,VA 20170	SAAR FOUNDATION	2/15/2002	$600	National Republican Senatorial Cmte
MIRZA, M YAQUB HERNDON,VA 20170	SAAR INTERNATIONAL/TREASURER	1/5/2001	$300	Moran, Jim
MIRZA, M YAQUB HERNDON,VA 20170		10/16/2002	($3,950)	Moran, Jim
MIRZA, MUHAMMADN MR FAIRFAX,VA 22031	NAZU TEX INT. AMERICA LTD./BUSINESS	8/12/2002	$250	Republican National Cmte
MIRZA, MYAQUB DR HERNDON,VA 20170	MAR JAC INVESTMENTS INC./PRESIDENT	7/24/2002	$750	Republican National Cmte
MIRZA, YAQUB HERNDON,VA 20170	ST LUCIE COUNTY/LAWYER	2/20/2006	$2,100	Mahoney, Timothy Edward
MIRZA, YAQUB HERNDON,VA 20170	MAR JAC INVESTMENTS INC./PRESIDENT	9/11/2001	$500	McKinney, Cynthia A
MIRZA, YAQUB HERNDON,VA 20170	SELF-EMPLOYED/PHYSICIAN	6/14/2002	$500	Hilliard, Earl F
MIRZA, YAQUB DR HERNDON,VA 20170	INTEGRATED SYSTEMS/SELF EMPLOYED	5/20/2002	$1,000	Scott, Merwyn
MIRZA, ZIA Z FAIRFAX,VA 22031	SELF-EMPLOYED/SERVICE STATION OWNER	4/19/2004	$250	Moran, Jim

[sageb1]

Former Muslim charter school head sues ADL for libel

"In 1993 McCloskey helped to found the Council for National Interest, which, according to its Web site, exists "to uncloak the myths and show the public how their Middle East policy is being hijacked by Israeli supporters, including their Christian fundamentalist allies, and why our policy needs to be more balanced if our credibility and influence as a country is not severely damaged worldwide."

[Bob]

McCloskey has spoken at Holocaust Denial conferences.

Whoa!! That's huge (actually both hugh and series). Do you happen to have a link?

[Leatherneck_MT]

"'Rats. RINOs. What's the diff?"

Zip

[sageb1]

It gets worse. McCloskey has the following petition on his Council for National Interest website:

"The long-term security of Israel is continually undermined by distrust felt by its neighbors in the Middle East, including Palestinians, and of the United States, its chief supporter. In order to restore credibility in America’s role in the Middle East, I strongly believe Israel must be held as accountable for its behavior as we hold other nations in the region. A new moral approach to negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians is the basis of the “Israel Accountability and Security Act” (http://www.cnionline.org/act.html), which I urge you to support.

The “Israel Accountability and Security Act” aims to bring Israel’s actions into conformity with international laws and American laws affecting multilateral agreements, thereby bolstering the national interests of the United States throughout the Middle East.

The proposed act:

(1) Deplores the current policies of the State of Israel that endanger both American security interests in the Middle East and the long-term security of Israel itself;

(2) Reprimands the Israeli army for its targeted assassinations without due process of law, the demolition of homes, and the pillaging of the civilian and security infrastructure of the Palestinian Authority;

(3) Demands that Israel cease the settlement of Israeli colonists in the West Bank, Gaza, and the Golan Heights, which has proceeded despite protests from the United States and in violation of numerous UN Security Council resolutions; and that it dismantle those settlements constructed from 2001 onward;

(4) Demands that Israel cease construction of any security barriers, including the Separation Barrier, that are beyond Israel's internationally recognized borders, also known as the "Green Line," as has been done in Gaza;

(5) Asks that Israel enter into a regional Middle East Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons; and that it dismantle and destroy any existing weapons of mass destruction;

(6) Asks that Israel enter into serious and unconditional negotiations with the Palestinian Authority, as well as the governments of Lebanon and Syria in order to realize a full and permanent peace.

(7) Asks that Israel cooperate fully in investigating the death of U.S. citizen Rachel Corrie.

The cycle of violence in the Middle East continues to harm our national interest, and in signing this petition, I urge you to intervene more directly in the Israeli-Palestinian question in order to bring a just and lasting peace and security to both the Israelis and the Palestinians."