Exclusive | HHS probing CAIRs alleged terror ties and what happened to $30M for Afghan refugee resettlement
The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is investigating what happened to $30 million it sent to a Muslim nonprofit to help resettle Afghan refugees in the US, The Post has learned.The department is the latest to look into the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) amid accusations it has ties to dangerous groups in foreign nations including terror group Hamas.In letters to the governors of California and Washington, where the $30 million was sent, HHS — headed by Robert F.
Kennedy Jr.— claims it has received information that “raises concerns about the business practices and ethics of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and CAIR-California.”The June 9 letters to the two Democratic governors, written by the agency’s Assistant Secretary for Financial Resources, Gustav Chiarello, says HHS has been informed “there may be connections between CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood and its Palestinian branch, Hamas.“As you may know, the United States Department of State has designated Hamas a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
HHS takes these allegations very seriously as the department may not conduct business with entities with ties to such designated organizations.The letter goes on to say that the allegations are being investigated and if proven could result in “suspension and proposed debarment.”The governors of Texas and Florida both designated CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood as foreign terrorist organizations and transnational criminal organizations in 2025.Washington, DC headquartered CAIR did not respond to The Post’s request for comment.The group, led by National Executive Director Nihad Awad, strongly denies it has any ties to terror organizations, and says it only operates in the US.
It has also denied any ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.Approximately 43,000 Afghanis resettled in California between 2016 and 2025 using special humanitarian visas, with Sacramento being the most common area where they went to live, acco...