Leaked Nunn campaign memo reveals potential concerns over liberal reputation, lack of rural appeal, Hamas funding ties
The National Review says the Nunn campaign declined to comment, but did not deny the memo’s authenticity.
An internal memo outlining Michelle Nunn’s campaign strategy has been leaked to the public. And the candid document spells out what campaign strategists consider to be the Democratic U.S. candidate’s strengths and weaknesses in the statewide race.
Nunn, a veteran nonprofit executive and daughter of former U.S. Sen. Sam Nunn, is facing off against longtime corporate exec and fellow first-time candidate David Perdue in the battle for retiring Georgia U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss’ seat. Her campaign’s memo, which was first published by the National Review, identifies African-American, Latino, Asian-American, and Jewish men and women as essential parts of her outreach efforts. The document also names women, business leaders, trial lawyers, young professionals, startup employees, and members of the LGBT community as potential fundraising targets. The National Review says the Nunn campaign declined to comment on the record about the document, but did not deny its authenticity.
As part of her strategy, the campaign memo stresses the importance of focusing on her positive track record with the Points of Light Foundation. The National Review took the opportunity to delve into numerous grants that Points of Light gave to Islamic Relief USA, a charity that operates as part of a global philanthropic network with reported ties to Palestinian Islamist organization Hamas. Reporter Eliana Johnson explains the connection:
Though the campaign plan recommends emphasizing Nunn’s accomplishments at the Points of Light Foundation, which she has done on the campaign trail, her strategists express enormous concern about attacks that might arise from her work there. She has served as CEO of Points of Light since 2007 and, according to the document, it has made grants to “terrorists” and “inmates” during her tenure. The document also makes reference to a 2010 audit that concluded Points of Light’s accounting system was “not adequate to account for federal funds.”
According to the IRS Form 990s that Points of Light filed in 2008 and 2011, the organization gave a grant of over $33,000 to Islamic Relief USA, a charity that says it strives to alleviate “hunger, illiteracy, and diseases worldwide.” Islamic Relief USA is part of a global network of charities that operate under the umbrella of Islamic Relief Worldwide. Islamic Relief USA says on its website that it is a legally separate entity from its parent organization, but that they share “a common vision, mission, and family identity.”
Islamic Relief Worldwide has ties to Hamas, which the U.S. designates as a terrorist organization. In June, Israel banned the charity from operating in the country because, according to Israeli officials, it was funneling cash to Hamas. In 2006, Israelis arrested Islamic Relief Worldwide’s Gaza coordinator, Ayaz Ali. They said he was working to “transfer funds and assistance to various Hamas institutions and organizations.” Ali admitted to cooperating with local Hamas operatives while working in Jordan and, on his computer, Israeli officials found photographs of “swastikas superimposed on IDF symbols,” and of Nazi officials, Osama bin Laden, and al-Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
According to the memo, Nunn’s team expresses concerns about her being a liberal, a potential President Barack Obama ally, and a “rubber stamp” for the Democratic Party. The document also cites key issues such as the Affordable Care Act, gay marriage, gun rights, and Syria as being potentially problematic for her chances to win office.
“This was a draft of a document that was written eight months ago,” Nunn campaign manager Jeff DiSantis tells CL. “Like all good plans, they change. But what hasn’t changed and is all the more clear today is that Michelle’s opponents are going to mischaracterize her work and her positions, and part of what we’ve always done is to prepare for the false things that are going to be said.”
DiSantis add: “Michelle has always sought to run a campaign that brings people together and gets Washington focused on the real challenges the country faces. And that’s the kind of Senator she’ll be.”
You can read the 144-page memo - we’re still digging through the full document - after the jump:
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Note: This story has been updated to include remarks from Nunn’s campaign in response to the leaked memo.