The political advocacy arm of the Council on American-Islamic Relations is "operating entirely outside the regulatory framework Congress requires," and its foreign-linked ties "warrant immediate federal scrutiny," according to a nonpartisan watchdog.
A new report from the Network Contagion Research Institute, produced with the Intelligent Advocacy Network, alleges CAIR Action, a 501(c)(4), has built a nationwide political fundraising and voter-mobilization operation while failing to meet state and local registration requirements in the jurisdictions where it operates.
In its "bottom line up front," the NCRI report claims CAIR Action raises money or conducts political activity in 22 states without the "licenses, registrations, or legal authority" required under state solicitation and reporting laws.
The report also said CAIR Action does not hold the basic business license needed to operate lawfully in Washington, D.C., where it is incorporated and from where it directs its national activity.
According to NCRI, the alleged regulatory shortcomings matter because a 501(c)(4) may engage in political activity only if it complies with applicable federal and state fundraising, registration, and reporting rules.
NCRI argues CAIR Action is evading those obligations "across the entire country," leaving donors and regulators without the transparency typically required for large-scale political influence operations.
The report described CAIR Action as an "unlicensed interstate political-solicitation enterprise."
According to the report, CAIR Action's lack of legal authorization could raise concerns involving possible "wire fraud," "deceptive solicitation," or "false statements" — allegations that the report said warrant federal attention.
NCRI investigators said they could not locate evidence of required registrations or solicitation licenses in states where CAIR Action operates.
The NCRI report also questioned whether CAIR Action is truly independent from CAIR National, alleging the two organizations are "structurally inseparable," with overlapping leadership, governance, communications, and operational resources — raising concerns about improper coordination between a 501(c)(3) charity and a 501(c)(4) political arm.
Beyond compliance questions, the report pointed to what it called indicators of "foreign-state alignment, including sponsorships involving Turkish Airlines, events at the Turkish government's Diyanet Center of America, appearances by CAIR figures on Turkey's state-run TRT World, and technical indicators it says show CAIR Action accounts routing through the Turkey App Store.
NCRI said none of the elements alone prove wrongdoing, but it argued that the pattern could be a problem when paired with alleged regulatory evasion.
The Washington Free Beacon noted CAIR Action pushed back, saying it "fully complies with all applicable federal and state laws governing 501(c)(4) organizations," and called the report's characterizations "inaccurate and misleading."
The report's release on Friday came amid heightened scrutiny of CAIR more broadly.
A recent analysis released by the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy urged the U.S. government to designate the Islamist group as a terrorist organization to curb its influence in Western institutions.
Newsmax Wires contributed to this report.
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