WASHINGTON — A Senate Republican launched an investigation Thursday into American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) over its “alleged ties to Hamas” and its funding of anti-Israel protest groups on US college campuses — including at Columbia University.
Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy (R-La.) announced the investigation at the top of a hearing titled “Antisemitic Disruptions on Campus” — and named nine individuals with links to the US-designated foreign terror group who also boosted campus demonstrations.
“Today as chair of the health committee, I launched an investigation into the American Muslims for Palestine demanding answers about their activities on college campuses,” Cassidy said.
“This group’s leaders have ties to Hamas and helped create the group Students for Justice in Palestine,” he added. “I also requested information from the Justice Department and several universities on these groups.
“We must continue to build upon these efforts. As we saw at Colombia last month, pro-Hamas activists continue to wreak havoc on campuses,” he also said.
“Instead of standing up for Jewish students, too many university officials failed to respond or refused to even condemn these horrific occurrences.”
In a letter to AMP chairman Hatem Bazian, Cassidy listed the group’s troubling ties to Hamas as well as those of several of Bazian’s associates, citing research compiled by Foundation for Defense of Democracies senior vice president Jonathan Schanzer.
Those links include:
Cassidy also sent further letters to Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel and university leaders at Columbia, Barnard, George Washington University and UCLA.
“Activity that threatens the safety of others is not constitutionally protected free speech, and conduct
that violates campus rules should not be tolerated,” he warned, highlighting the same ties between AMP and SJP.
“Reports of individuals with ties to terrorist groups or their affiliates engaging with students on college campuses are also cause for the highest alarm.”
The Louisiana Republican has asked for further records from each higher education institution by April 9.
The probe comes on the heels of a lawsuit filed by families of hostages held by Hamas who alleged that anti-Israel groups like SJP had “prior knowledge” of the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attacks.
The activist group proclaimed “we are back” in an Instagram post just hours before the deadly assault, according to the new lawsuit.
Reps for AMP did not immediately respond to a request for comment.