House Members Demand Answers on Depth of U.S. Involvement With the Muslim Brotherhood

Though Osama bin Laden is dead and much of al-Qaeda's leadership has met a similar fate, the global impact of Islamic extremists reaches far beyond the ranks of al-Qaeda.

The Muslim Brotherhood in particular, having been in operation for close to a century, is of distinct concern to many U.S. lawmakers.

With a motto of: "Allah is our objective. The Prophet is our leader. The Qur'an is our law. Jihad is our way. Dying in the way of Allah is our highest hope," and a commitment by some of its members to "[destroy] Western civilization from within," some politicians are demanding to know the depth of U.S. involvement with the organization-- particularly within our intelligence community.

(Related: GBTV‘s ’Rumors of War III’ Examines Strategic Islamist Penetration of U.S. at The Highest Level)

On June 13, five members of Congress including Michele Bachmann (MN-06),  Trent Franks (AZ-02), Louie Gohmert (TX-01), Tom Rooney (FL-16) and Lynn Westmoreland (GA-03) sent distinct letters to the Inspectors General of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice and the Department of State with the intention of finding out.  

Each letter roughly began:

As you may know, information has recently come to light that raises serious questions about the involvement of organizations and individuals associated with the Muslim Brotherhood in [insert department]  activities and policies.  Given that the U.S. government has established in federal court that the Muslim Brotherhood's mission in the United States is "destroying Western civilization from within" -- a practice the Brothers call "civilization jihad" -- we believe that the apparent involvement of those with such ties raises serious security concerns that warrant your urgent attention.

From there, each letter specifies troubling instances in which individuals associated with the organization were given positions of influence within the government, or in the case of the letter to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the time the Director of National Intelligence James Clapper asserted that the Muslim Brotherhood is a "very heterogeneous, largely secular [group], which has eschewed violence."

Congressman Rooney explained: "The Muslim Brotherhood openly calls for violence against the United States, but we’re learning that this organization may be infiltrating our ranks, even within our military...We need our top security agencies to investigate thoroughly the degree to which members of this organization are active in our defense and intelligence communities, and what impact that has on our national security."

Concluding with a set of specific questions and requests, the letters end: "Please forward your recommended 'corrective action,' including a discussion of its consistency with the Constitution and laws of the United States, together with your other findings, to the undersigned in unclassified and, if necessary, classified form, within 90 days of your receipt of this letter."

Congresswoman Michele Bachmann's website includes each letter, and a number of quotes from the Congressmen who sent them.

Bachmann declared: "The national security of our country depends on getting straight answers from the Inspectors General to the questions we posed in these letters...The Muslim Brotherhood is not shy about their call for jihad against the United States. We seek answers through these letters because we will not tolerate this group and its affiliates holding positions of power in our government or influencing our nation’s leaders."