Our politicians should be putting America first. Not kowtowing to foreign enemies.
And now terrorist ties to this U.S. Senator put the Capitol on total lockdown.
Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts has launched a sharp critique of a Trump administration nominee over his Christian views, even as her longstanding ties to a controversial Muslim group, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), draw renewed scrutiny.
Warren sent a scathing letter to Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth ahead of his Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, questioning his suitability for the role. At the heart of her critique was Hegseth’s Christian tattoo, which Warren labeled as linked to “right-wing extremism” based on internal reports from fellow service-members.
“You were … removed from President [Joe] Biden’s inauguration because of concerns that you were an insider threat after reports that your ‘Deus Vult’ tattoo ‘was a Christian expression associated with right-wing extremism,’” Warren wrote.
“We cannot have a Defense Secretary whose fellow servicemembers feel concerned enough about to report as a potential insider threat.”
Hegseth defended his tattoo during the hearing, clarifying that it is a “Jerusalem cross,” a historical Christian symbol. “Interestingly, recently I attended briefly the memorial ceremony of former President Jimmy Carter on the floor of our national cathedral,” he said. “On the front page of his program was the very same Jerusalem cross.”
While Warren scrutinizes Hegseth’s faith-based symbol, her own ties to CAIR — a group accused of extremist sympathies — raise questions about her stance on extremism.
CAIR, which bills itself as a Muslim civil rights organization, came under fire after its National Executive Director Nihad Awad seemingly justified Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel. Awad described Hamas’s actions as Palestinians “breaking their shackles,” though he later claimed his remarks were taken out of context.
The White House publicly condemned CAIR for its response to the attacks, during which Hamas k*lled over 1,100 people, r*ped women, and took hundreds of hostages.
Zahra Billoo, executive director of CAIR’s San Francisco chapter, further inflamed tensions last year by stating that Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh’s “martyrdom will not be in vain.” CAIR has since denied that these comments endorse terrorism, asserting, “We condemn terrorism and any violence against civilians, no matter who does it, period.”
Despite these controversies, Warren maintained a close relationship with CAIR for years. In 2019, she praised the group in a letter marking its 25th anniversary, writing, “CAIR has been on the front lines of so many important fights for civil rights and equal justice under the law. I’m glad to count on CAIR as a strong partner in these fights.”
Warren also appeared at a 2017 CAIR rally in Massachusetts opposing the Trump administration’s travel ban on Muslim-majority countries, a policy upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018.
CAIR’s website highlights meetings with Warren’s aides as recently as 2023, where the group pressed her office on issues like a ceasefire in Gaza and alleged anti-Muslim discrimination in the FBI’s terrorist watchlist.
Her collaboration with CAIR comes despite the group’s troubling history. The Department of Justice named CAIR an un-indicted co-conspirator in a 2007 terrorism financing trial involving the Holy Land Foundation, a charity that funneled money to Hamas. Court documents revealed that CAIR was part of the Palestine Committee, a network established by Hamas to advance its agenda in the United States.
Like Warren, CAIR has denounced Hegseth’s nomination, labeling him a “warmonger and anti-Muslim extremist.”
Warren has also grown increasingly critical of Israel since the October 2023 attacks, accusing the country of “genocide” in its military response and calling for a ceasefire. Her rhetoric has shifted despite previously asserting that “Israel has a right to defend itself.”
The senator’s outspoken criticism of Hegseth, coupled with her historical support for CAIR, raises concerns about double standards in her approach to extremism. While Warren questions a nominee over a Christian tattoo, her ties to a group with documented links to Hamas continue to provoke debate.
Her office has not responded to multiple requests for comment on whether she still partners with CAIR or plans to in the future.
Stay tuned to the DC Daily Journal.
