Talk Radio News Service: News, Politics, Media

By: Marianna Levyash - Talk Radio News Service

Rep. Sue Myrick (R-N.C.) and fellow GOP colleagues held a news conference Wednesday morning to announce a request for the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate possible attempts by the Council on American-Islam Relations (CAIR) to illegally lobby Congress.

According to Myrick, CAIR, a non-profit civil rights and advocacy group that strives to create a positive image of Islam, had attempted to infiltrate Congress by placing its interns in certain members' offices. CAIR admitted to this allegation in a 2007 memo that Myrick now has, which stated that the organization was trying to "influence the policies of those members."

Specifically, the memo also stated that CAIR was "most interested in the members who serve on the Judiciary, Intelligence, and Homeland Security Committees."

In her remarks, Myrick announced a request for the U.S. Department of Justice to inform members of Congress and staff about this threat, and for the Sergeant of Arms to investigate whether or not CAIR was successful in placing its interns in Congressional offices. Myrick also called on the IRS to launch a full investigation into the legality of CAIR's lobbying activities.

The North Carolina Republican also discussed CAIR's alleged relationships with Islamic terrorist groups such as Hamas. In 2008, the Justice Department found that the organization had funded more than $12 million dollars to Hamas. Soon after, the FBI also severed all ties with CAIR because of its ties to Hamas.