Southern Wisconsin Times

WASHINGTON (June 20, 2024) - Congressman Bryan Steil (WI-01) led letters to Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Danny Werfel and Financial Crimes Enforcement Network Director Andrea Gacki today, requesting information regarding U.S.-registered nonprofits’ potential involvement in terrorist activity.

On June 8, 2024, an Israel Defense Forces’ rescue mission brought home four Israeli hostages who were kidnapped by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023. Reports indicate that three of them, Almog Meir, Shlomi Ziv, and Andrey Kozlov were being held in the house of Abdullah Aljamal, a Palestinian journalist who worked as a “contributor” to The Palestine Chronicle in the Gaza Strip.

The Palestine Chronicle, a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) non-profit news website which receives a tax-free exemption, may have knowingly employed a Hamas terrorist. This is one of many concerning examples of a U.S. non-profit having links to illicit activity.

Excerpt from the letter to IRS Commissioner Werfel:

“As the agency that has jurisdiction over entities that receive tax-exempt status, I find it concerning recent news reports indicate a U.S. 501(c)(3) non-profit organization was connected to an individual suspected of providing material support for the terrorist organization, Hamas. Given this concerning report, I would like to know what the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is doing to ensure organizations that benefit from non-profit status are not supporting terrorism.”

Excerpt from the letter to FinCEN Director Gacki:

“We request a briefing for members and staff of the House Committee on Financial Services in a non-classified setting as soon as possible on U.S.-based organizations’ potential support for Hamas, Hezbollah, or other affiliated terrorist groups engaged in hostilities against Israel and U.S. personnel in the region. Further, we request that FinCEN provide information on communications to financial institutions to assist them with their counter-terrorist financings compliance obligations.”

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