Linda Sarsour Accused of Directing Hurricane Harvey Donations to Political Activist Group
A key organizer of the Women's March on Washington has been accused of misdirecting donations to help people affected by Hurricane Harvey to a political activist group.
Linda Sarsour, the Palestinian-American Muslim activist and co-chair of the Women's March, told her followers not to give to the Red Cross, but instead send money to the "Hurricane Harvey Community Relief Fund."
"Donate to the #Harvey Hurricane Relief Fund," Sarsour, who last month called for a jihad to be waged against President Trump and publicly declared that her "mentor" is Imam Siraj Wahhaj, one of the of unindicted co-conspirators in the 1993 World Trade Center bombings, tweeted Monday, along with a donation link.
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The page was overseen by the Texas Organizing Project Education Fund, which said that the donations they receive are "vital to ensuring that we have the resources we need to organize and fight for Texans devastated by Hurricane Harvey!"
"Rebuilding in areas impacted by Harvey will be most challenging for marginalized communities. Nearly a quarter of Houstonians live in poverty — approximately 550,000 people. We also estimate that there are 575,000 immigrants in the Houston metro area," stated the Fund.
Conservative critics argued that the organization behind the donation page Sarsour tweeted is actually seeking funds for political activism rather than hurricane relief efforts.
"This week, Sarsour has also actively discouraged people from donating to the Red Cross, suggesting instead that they contribute to sundry political-activist organizations," Philip Devoe said in a column for the National Review.
"Sarsour has already shown her willingness to use disunity to turn a profit. Now we know she's willing to exploit disaster in the same way."
In an article published Wednesday, The Daily Wire referred to Sarsour as "shameless" for directing donations toward political activism.
"The Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund is supported by the left-wing groups SEIU and MoveOn.org, among other groups," stated the Wire.
"The Texas Organizing Project Education Fund's parent organization, the Texas Organizing Project, was an organization morphed into by the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), the radical group that was allegedly implicated in voter-registration fraud, vote-rigging, voter intimidation, and vote-for-pay scams."
In an apparent response to the criticism, Michelle Tremillo, executive director of the Texas Organizing Project Education Fund, said in a statement that "100 percent of the money raised into this fund will be spent directly on ensuring low income and people of color are not forgotten in the relief, recovery and reconstruction efforts."
"We will make a determination about which relief efforts in particular to dedicate this funding after the floods recede," stated Tremillo. "Our expenditures will be dictated by the needs of our communities, and we anticipate those needs will range from personal hygiene items to legal aid and advocacy."
