π¨ THREAD: What do Mike Pence, Mike Pompeo, John Bolton, and Elaine Chao have in common? They were all paid by a Marxist-Islamist Iran group that was designated as terrorist until 2012.
No, this is not a joke.
Mojahedin-e-Khalq (MEK) was founded by leftist Islamists to oppose the western-backed Pahlavi, and participated in his 1979 overthrow. Khomeini barred MEK afterwards. MEK was implicated in multiple bombings, including that of Americans, and remained an openly armed group until 2003.
Since they got de-listed as a terrorist organization in 2012 on procedural grounds, MEK and their fronts have been actively recruiting US politicians selling themselves as a moderate alternative to Khomeini. But RAND Corporation says MEK meets the qualifications for a cult, citing criteria such as forcing their members to work 16+ hour days and forced divorces.
Polls of the Iranian-American community shows that they do NOT accept Rajavi, MeK's leader, as legitimate, with a 46-point net disapproval - numbers nearly as bad as the existing regime.
As Pence's former Chief of Staff, Marc Short, has already weighed against Trump deal, it's helpful to recall this.
Receipts below. As always, patience as I pull the thread together.π
No, this is not a joke.
Mojahedin-e-Khalq (MEK) was founded by leftist Islamists to oppose the western-backed Pahlavi, and participated in his 1979 overthrow. Khomeini barred MEK afterwards. MEK was implicated in multiple bombings, including that of Americans, and remained an openly armed group until 2003.
Since they got de-listed as a terrorist organization in 2012 on procedural grounds, MEK and their fronts have been actively recruiting US politicians selling themselves as a moderate alternative to Khomeini. But RAND Corporation says MEK meets the qualifications for a cult, citing criteria such as forcing their members to work 16+ hour days and forced divorces.
Polls of the Iranian-American community shows that they do NOT accept Rajavi, MeK's leader, as legitimate, with a 46-point net disapproval - numbers nearly as bad as the existing regime.
As Pence's former Chief of Staff, Marc Short, has already weighed against Trump deal, it's helpful to recall this.
Receipts below. As always, patience as I pull the thread together.π
In an interview with @ItsYourGov , National Council of Resistance of Iran director and MeK representative Alireza Jafarzadeh was asked directly: "Is your group involved in any sort of lobbying or payments for speeches to prominent individuals such as Mike Pompeo?"
NCRI-US said "absolutely not."
NCRI-US said "absolutely not."
@ItsYourGov Jafarzadeh is the registrant contact on FARA Registration #6171 for NCRI-US for Iran, on behalf of MeK.
@ItsYourGov Pence's OGE financial disclosure, filed for his 2024 presidential candidacy, lists $190,000 from "National Council of Resistance of Iran" for a June 2022 speech at the MEK compound in Albania. Can't get more direct receipts than that.
@ItsYourGov Elaine Chao - $50,000.
John Bolton - $40,000.
Many, many politicians involved.
John Bolton - $40,000.
Many, many politicians involved.
@ItsYourGov Mike Pompeo has been one of the most prolific speakers on the NCRI circuit. He labels MeK as freedom fighters. Speaking fees have not been disclosed, but AI estimates his payments well into the hundreds of thousands range, taking in comparable speakers.
@ItsYourGov So, are MeK actually freedom fighters? The Iranian community doesn't seem to think so. Repeated polling shows unfavorables comparable to the existing regime.
@ItsYourGov And for good reason - a RAND Corporation study documented them as Islamist extremists qualifying as cult. MeK was invited by Saddam Hussein to fight on his behalf against US enemies. The list goes on and on.
What changed about MeK? Not their leadership or ideology. Money.
What changed about MeK? Not their leadership or ideology. Money.
How the denial works: a three-entity structure.
NCRI-US (the DC office Jafarzadeh runs) -- FARA registered. The filing reports $0 in speaker fees and $0 in payments to individuals.
NCRI Paris/Albania (the foreign principal) -- this is what's listed on Pence's financial disclosure as the source of the $190,000. This entity pays the speakers directly.
OIAC (domestic 501(c)(4)) -- organizes U.S. events. No FARA registration was identified for OIAC in the DOJ FARA database. As a 501(c)(4), OIAC is not required to publicly disclose donors. Paid Pence separately.
Each entity can deny what the others do. That's how "absolutely not" works.
NCRI-US (the DC office Jafarzadeh runs) -- FARA registered. The filing reports $0 in speaker fees and $0 in payments to individuals.
NCRI Paris/Albania (the foreign principal) -- this is what's listed on Pence's financial disclosure as the source of the $190,000. This entity pays the speakers directly.
OIAC (domestic 501(c)(4)) -- organizes U.S. events. No FARA registration was identified for OIAC in the DOJ FARA database. As a 501(c)(4), OIAC is not required to publicly disclose donors. Paid Pence separately.
Each entity can deny what the others do. That's how "absolutely not" works.
@ItsYourGov Now, you will find reporting from left-wing groups critical of MeK paying Republicans. This is because Communists are aligned with the IRGC, and MeK does oppose IRGC.
But "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" mentality is exactly what has gotten us into GWOT and quagmires.
But "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" mentality is exactly what has gotten us into GWOT and quagmires.
MEK's entire value proposition is regime change. They're selling themselves as "the democratic alternative"; Rajavi is "president-elect" of a government-in-waiting.
Trump's current Iran posture is negotiation, not regime change. (Side note - IMO, true regime change is probably impossible without a land war, which is a nonstarter.)
That'd explain why Pence, Pompeo, Short, and that entire crew are counter-signaling a peace deal.
Trump's current Iran posture is negotiation, not regime change. (Side note - IMO, true regime change is probably impossible without a land war, which is a nonstarter.)
That'd explain why Pence, Pompeo, Short, and that entire crew are counter-signaling a peace deal.
@ItsYourGov Will the Iranian deal work? I don't know yet if it will, and nobody does. I pray it will.
But when Pompeo, Pence, and other Never-Trumpers start prematurely poo-poohing the deal - now you know to check and see if money is involved here.
THREAD END.
But when Pompeo, Pence, and other Never-Trumpers start prematurely poo-poohing the deal - now you know to check and see if money is involved here.
THREAD END.
One thing I learned while researching this report is that proponents of regime change over negotiation need an honest reckoning with the fact that the MEK has spent years cultivating support in Congress.
If a regime-change scenario were to unfold, it would be difficult to prevent the MEK from positioning itself as the interim government.
If a regime-change scenario were to unfold, it would be difficult to prevent the MEK from positioning itself as the interim government.
@ItsYourGov Yep, MEK are Marxist-Islamists. I don't know how else you'd describe their ideology.
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