A new report confirms that the Obama administration illegally funneled taxpayer dollars to the Islamic Relief Agency in 2014, after it had been sanctioned for “ties to terrorism,” using an American non-profit, World Vision United States, to hide the paper trail. Everyone knows they’re guilty, but once again there’s only a tap on the wrist and a warning not to get caught doing it again.
Obama admin guilty of funding terror
Nearly two years ago, in February 2019, the Senate Finance Committee started digging into the possibly illegal relationship between World Vision and ISRA which went on right under the nose of Islam enthusiast Barack Obama. Chairman Charles Grassley recently released the report.
The audit revealed that World Vision didn’t have a clue that ISRA had been sanctioned. The cutout company was apparently shocked to learn that the Islamic Relief Agency was busted in 2004 over $5 million diverted to Maktab al-Khidamat, the Al-Qaeda predecessor controlled by Osama Bid Laden. They didn’t know because they apparently made it a point not to check. The Obama administration never bothered to point that out either. They may not have been aware, but they should have been, the Iowa republican scolds.
“World Vision works to help people in need across the world, and that work is admirable,” Grassley acknowledges. “Though it may not have known that ISRA was on the sanctions list or that it was listed because of its affiliation with terrorism, it should have.” Everyone who ever went to traffic court knows that “ignorance can’t suffice as an excuse.” The Obama administration thought they could simply keep it quiet. If Hillary Clinton had won in 2016, like she was supposed to, then the deal greased through by John Kerry would have never seen the light of day.
John Kerry lurches to the rescue
Grassley’s committee started digging into the fishy financing arrangements after an article which focused on a report issued by Sam Westrop, the director of the Middle East Forum’s Islamist Watch. MEF learned that “the Obama administration had approved a “$200,000 grant of taxpayer money to ISRA.” After they found out that ISRA funded Al-Qaeda, John Kerry’s State Department approved a transfer of “at least $115,000” anyway.
On paper, World Vision begged for money from the United States Agency for International Development. Allegedly it was to be used “to carry out its Blue Nile Recovery Program.” It was to “provide food security, sanitation equipment, and health services to areas hard-hit by conflict.” Obama was all for it. They were granted $723,405. The following month, “ISRA agreed to provide humanitarian services to parts of the Blue Nile Region for World Vision.” World Vision never bothered to check them out, as they knew they should. Never ask questions that you don’t want to hear the answer to.
When they tried to team up with another group, the International Organization for Migration, IOM checked out World Vision. Properly. They quickly discovered World Vision’s ties to ISRA and ISRA’s sanctioned status. After World Vision checked around and said “oh, yeah, oops,” they asked for permission from the Obama administration to keep working with ISRA anyway. The Treasury department asked them what they were smoking. “Two months later, Treasury responded confirming that ISRA is sanctioned, and denying the request for a license to work with the organization.” They went to John Kerry for an override.
Obama shielding committee finds not much
World Vision claimed that they already owed ISRA $125,000 for services rendered and were about to get sued and thrown out of Sudan. John Kerry couldn’t let that happen. “On May 4, 2015 the Obama administration’s State Department recommended OFAC grant World Vision’s request for the license to transact.” The next day, OFAC granted the license, along with a “cautionary letter” making it aware that its collaboration with ISRA appeared to have violated the Global Terrorism Sanction Regulations.”
Grassley’s Obama shielding committee “did not find any evidence that World Vision intentionally sought to circumvent U.S. sanctions by partnering with ISRA.” They also “found no evidence that World Vision knew that ISRA was a sanctioned entity prior to receiving notice from Treasury.” They did find something though, “based on the evidence presented, we conclude that World Vision had access to the appropriate public information and should have known how, but failed to, properly vet ISRA as a sub-grantee, resulting in the transfer of U.S. taxpayer dollars to an organization with an extensive history of supporting terrorist organization [sic] and terrorists, including Osama Bin Laden.”
What will be done about it? Not much. “Particularly concerning to this Committee is World Vision’s attempt to shift the blame to the federal government for their own inability to properly vet a subcontractor. A more robust and fundamentally sound system of screening and vetting is needed to restore the public’s trust that contributions made to World Vision are not funding illicit organizations.” Once again Obama and his Deep State minions get away Scot-free.
