(SD Union-Tribune) Congressional candidate Ammar Campa-Najjar has received $17,300 in contributions from board members of the Council on American-Islamic Relations — contributions that the candidate says show support from hard-working Americans and his critics on the right wing are portraying as money tied to terrorism.
Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Alpine, has run ads criticizing Campa-Najjar’s support from CAIR, suggesting it’s part of a “well-orchestrated plan to infiltrate Congress.”
The ads have been criticized by Campa-Najjar and many in the media as a racist attack on the candidate’s Palestinian heritage. A pro-Israel organization that has contributed more money to Campa-Najjar than the CAIR board members also decries the ads as a smear.
CAIR describes itself as a civil rights group dedicated to promoting dialogue, justice and mutual understanding.
