Ernst, Grassley Call for Hamas-Linked Campus Orgs to Register as Foreign Agents

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) joined U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) in raising concerns that Hamas-linked entities on college campuses may be noncompliant with the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) as they seek to shape U.S. public opinion and policy outcomes.

In the face of this national security threat, they are calling on the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to look into the role of National Students for Justice in Palestine (NSJP) - which received backing from an organization whose associated entities the U.S. government has implicated for financing Hamas - and the hundreds of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapters NSJP claims to support across the U.S.

"It is incumbent upon all of us [to] crack down on hidden foreign influence. […] The introduction of hostile foreign adversaries into domestic political discussion is especially of issue when it is fueling an alarming rise in antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment. The public reporting appears to indicate that NSJP and related chapters may fit into the FARA definition of 'publicity agent,' at minimum, and its conduct, among other activity, may constitute a public relations effort designed to impact U.S. public opinion in favor of a foreign principal, which would meet FARA's definition of political activities,"the senators wrote.

"Taken as a whole, these actions require further investigation from DOJ and FBI to fully determine whether NSJP and SJP chapters should register as foreign agents under FARA and the extent of Hamas and Iran's potential involvement," the senators continued.

Inthe letter, the senators cite numerous examples that signal NSJP and SJP chapters may have an obligation to register as foreign agents under FARA.

Additionally, the lawmakers are demanding answers to what actions DOJ has taken to assess whether NSJP and SJP chapters should register under FARA, if DOJ has assessed whether NSJP has committed violations under FARA-related statutes, and if any SJP chapter ever requested an opinion in relation to work done on behalf of a foreign entities.

Read the full letter here.

Background:

Ernst led her colleagues in demanding the Department of Education uphold its legal obligations to ensure Jewish and Israeli students are not subjected to discrimination. She also sponsored the Stop Antisemitism on College Campuses Act to cut federal funding for any college or university that allows antisemitic events to occur on their campus.

As cases of antisemitism on campuses started to increase, Ernst introduced the Students' Bill of Rights to protect the First Amendment rights of students and stem discrimination at its source.

She also joined her colleagues in calling on the Biden administration for its plan to restore order and protect Jewish students and demanded an investigation into organizations behind antisemitic protests.

Ernst requested the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) examine if any of the 501(c)(3) organizations backing violent antisemitic protests were in violation of their tax exempt status and reiterated her call to action when they blew off her request.

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