November 17, 2006

Steve Emerson Describes How a Terrorist Got Access to the Highest Levels of U.S. Government

Steve Emerson Spoke and Signed Copies of His New Book

Wednesday night I heard counter-terrorism expert Steve Emerson speak to a large group, in Westwood. One subject he addressed was that "Radical Islamic groups have been able to insinuate themselves into the heart and soul of the American political process."

Transcribed from an audio recording I made:

The deception is very dangerous. And I'll give you one anecdote that portrays why it's dangerous. In September of 2003, a man named Abdurahman Alamoudi, then head of the America Muslim Council, and who had been treated for the previous 13 years, as the most celebrated moderate American Muslim leader in the United States - he was invited to the White House numerous times; he was invited to the State Department; sent abroad on half-a-dozen missions as a goodwill ambassador for Muslims; he was invited to the CIA and to the FBI. Well, Mr. Alamoudi had gotten arrested coming back into the United States pursuant to a previous arrest at Heathrow airport, where he was found with $300,000 in cash, going on to Libya - on an illegal and illicit U.S. passport. British customs asked him, by the way, where he got his money, and he said he didn't know, he just found it in his hotel in London. [Laughter] Which as I point out means we should all stay at the Intercontinental in London. The investigation started to unravel his finances and his activities. And it turns out, that he was involved in a plot to assassinate the leaders of Saudi Arabia, with two Al Qaeda activists. He was also involved in smuggling and laundering money for Hamas and Al Qaeda. And it turned out that his activities spanned the previous eight years. So the question arises, how could a man who was involved with Al Qaeda and Hamas, end up getting respect, attention, and the ability to inject himself into the highest levels of the U.S. government? I would say to you that he represented the highest strategic penetration of the U.S. government since Alger Hiss. And the question is, how did we allow this to happen? Because of the legitimacy that was afforded him in the beginning, as he was invited to the White House - which was then parlayed into legitimacy at Treasury - which was then used to legitimize him at the State Department - in other words, he leapfrogged his legitimacy. And the danger was, of course, that here was a hostile, terrorist agent, who had access to the highest levels in the U.S. government. And I raise that point because that in a sense is emblematic of what is going on with CAIR entering into alliances and dialogues with the FBI, or with the local sheriff here in California, Sheriff Lee Baca, or with the State Department, Karen Hughes' office. And we see this occurring over and over again. And it's a danger. It's a danger not only to U.S. national security, in the direct sense, but it's a danger because it delegitimizes, and it crowds out, the authentic genuine Islamic moderates. Admittedly, not many exist, but they do exist. And they deserve our recognition and support. Because that in the end, is really the type of Islam we want to see.

Regarding the reference to Sheriff Baca, it is important to also include another statement Emerson made. From my handwritten notes:

I had a successful meeting this morning at LAPD, and I have to tell you that everybody in that room got it.

Given that even Muslim Congressman Keith Ellison is distancing himself from CAIR, perhaps the word is starting to get out.

Glenn Beck’s “The Extremist Agenda” Got Big Ratings - Will Show Again Sunday - & Is on YouTube

Glenn Beck's "The Extremist Agenda," which aired this week on CNN Headline News, is currently available in its entirety via YouTube:

Glenn Beck's "The Extremist Agenda"

Comments on it are flooding in from around the blogosphere:

The Jawa Report: "If you didn't see Glenn Beck's important documentary on the radical Islamist agenda, you need to.

No, I take that back. It is your friends and family that are still in denial. They need to see this video.

...If you have friends who are still in denial about the threat of political Islam, then why don't you do something useful with your e-mail contact list and send them a link to the video?"

Euphoric Reality: "Some of it shocked even me..."

GOP & College: "You will be shocked at what the Media has NOT shown you from the Middle East."

Freedom's Zone: "In the one-hour special, Glenn Beck will show you the shocking images on Middle Eastern media that help fuel rage against Israel and the West."

LGF: "With this show and Fox's recent broadcast of Obsession, US mainstream media actually seems to be starting to report facts about the global jihad that you could have found at LGF any time in the last 5 years. I can't help wondering why this didn't happen immediately after 9/11."

Trying to Grok reports that the show will air again this Sunday - and that it got big ratings for its network:

CNN Headline News is re-showing the program Exposed: The Extremist Agenda on the Glenn Beck Program on Sunday night at 7:00 and 9:00. Check it out if you missed it last night.

UPDATE:

The show ended up being the second highest rated show in the history of Headline News.

CNN deserves huge credit for airing this breakthrough show. Don't miss it.