A judge has ordered the radical anti-Israel nonprofit American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) to hand over documents pertaining to its funding channels as part of a probe into allegations of terrorism financing, which was initiated by Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares (R).
The radical pro-Palestine group, which has been a major backer of the widespread anti-Israel protests across the United States, has been ordered to turn over documents to Miyares, including its donor records and funding streams. The attorney general’s office has argued that these documents could contain evidence that the group has been providing material support to foreign terrorist groups.
Miyares was able to initiate this probe thanks to AMP’s failure to properly file even the most basic tax forms to allow the group to solicit donations in Virginia over the last seven years. The wide-ranging investigation was launched with this justification, with Miyares noting in a 2023 press release that he believed the group “may have used funds raised for impermissible purposes under state law, including benefitting or providing support to terrorist organizations.”
AMP tried to have a court shut down the investigation and revoke Miyares’ demands for documents, citing the First Amendment and claiming that the probe was no longer necessary because the group had fixed the “unintentional oversight,” according to the Washington Free Beacon.
However, a circuit court judge in Richmond, Virginia, agreed with the state’s argument in the case, noting in the ruling that Miyares had “acted in good faith” while requesting the financial documents and confirming that the request was “entirely” within his “statutory authority” to ensure that AMP was complying with state laws regarding support for terrorist groups and their affiliates. The judge also noted in the ruling that AMP had acknowledged their failure to file proper paperwork, thus admitting that the predicate for the investigation was truthful.
AMP must now hand over all documents requested by Miyares, which include “AMP’s finances, organizational structure and governance, its solicitation activities, and its potential ties to terrorist organizations,” according to the attorney general’s initial legal filing.
????BREAKING: Judge orders American Muslims for Palestine to turn over records requested by my office. https://t.co/B27HEsVBXy pic.twitter.com/jFjTnYZm8w
— Jason Miyares (@JasonMiyaresVA) July 16, 2024
This ruling comes amid widespread scrutiny into financing of the radical anti-Israel group — which has organized demonstrations that included calls for violence, anti-Semitic rhetoric and outright support for Hamas and its October 7 massacre in Israel — from elected officials across the country, including a similar probe from congressional Republicans into the group’s funding streams over alleged terror financing. Israeli terror victims have also filed a lawsuit against AMP alleging that the radical group and its allied have served as “collaborators and propagandists for Hamas.”
The congressional probe has been ongoing for some time, with investigators ordering the Treasury Department in May to hand over any Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) connected to AMP and 20 other pro-Palestine nonprofits that are behind the widespread anti-Israel protests. Republican congressmen have also called on the IRS to end these groups’ tax-exempt status.
