A new watchdog report is raising alarms about CAIR Action, the political arm of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. According to researchers, the group is not just bending the rules. They say it is running a nationwide political operation completely outside the legal system meant to keep activism transparent and accountable. The report argues that CAIR Action has quietly built a powerful influence network while ignoring the licensing and registration laws that every other political nonprofit is expected to follow.
The investigation comes from the Network Contagion Research Institute and the Intelligent Advocacy Network. These researchers have studied hundreds of political movements, but they say CAIR Action stands out because it looks and acts like a national campaign operation while leaving almost no paper trail.
Their conclusion is blunt. CAIR Action has never obtained the basic business license required even in Washington, D.C., the place where it is incorporated and where its national operations are directed. From that unlicensed base, the group raises money, recruits members, issues endorsements, and mobilizes voters in 22 states. The report says CAIR Action does all of this without registering in any of those states.
What is an ‘Unlicensed Political Operation’?
When the report calls CAIR Action unlicensed, it is not talking about a missing form or a late filing. It is referring to a political entity that operates in ways that could trigger criminal and civil penalties across the country. A 501(c)(4) can influence elections, but only if it follows strict fundraising and disclosure rules. NCRI says CAIR Action has ignored those rules from top to bottom.
By continuing to solicit donations and conduct activism from Washington, D.C. without a business license, the group risks federal charges such as wire fraud and deceptive solicitation. Because it is unlicensed at its home base, every state it touches can treat its operations as unlawful the moment it asks for a dollar or makes a political endorsement.
Investigators contacted state governments across the country and found the same result over and over again. There were no registrations for CAIR Action. No filings. No approvals. Nothing that would make its political activity legal.
In Washington, officials confirmed that CAIR Action has never obtained the required Basic Business License. In California, the Attorney General’s Office stated it had no record of the group filing with the Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, even though such registration is mandatory within two months of raising money. The group still posts “Donate Now” and “Become a Member” links on pages targeted to voters in multiple states.
To the watchdogs who wrote the report, this is a sign of deliberate evasion, not an accident.
The report also challenges the idea that CAIR Action is independent from CAIR National. Investigators describe the two groups as structurally inseparable. They share leaders, boards, communications systems, and strategy. That raises concerns about improper coordination between a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) charity and its aggressive political wing.
If true, this means charitable money and political money may be flowing through the same pipeline, something federal law is designed to prevent.
A Pattern That Goes Beyond Paperwork
Even more striking are the foreign-state indicators laid out in the report. Investigators point to sponsorships from Turkish Airlines, events hosted at the Turkish government’s Diyanet Center of America, appearances by CAIR leaders on the Turkish state broadcaster TRT World, and technical evidence suggesting CAIR Action accounts route through the Turkey App Store.
None of these facts prove wrongdoing by themselves, but the report argues that when combined with the group’s unlicensed political operation, they form a troubling pattern. It suggests the possibility of a political machine inside the United States with foreign-linked influence and almost no regulatory oversight.
The report also says CAIR Action’s endorsements have already helped elect candidates with extremist and openly antisemitic records. Researchers argue that CAIR Action is not simply promoting viewpoints. It is shaping the outcome of elections while avoiding the transparency that every other political nonprofit is required to follow.
CAIR’s Response
When the Washington Free Beacon asked CAIR Action about the report, the organization claimed it fully complies with the law and called the findings inaccurate and misleading. But NCRI says it looked for compliance in every state and found none.
This investigation lands during a moment when CAIR is facing broader national criticism. The Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy recently urged the United States to designate CAIR as a terrorist organization. That recommendation was based on what the group called a long pattern of Islamist extremism and anti-American activity. The new NCRI report only adds fuel to those concerns.
A Growing Picture of a Political Network in the Dark
Taken together, the findings paint a picture of an organization that has built real political power while operating far from public view. According to NCRI, CAIR Action is raising money, mobilizing voters, and influencing elections without obeying the basic rules that apply to every other political group in the nation. The report even suggests the organization may be linked to foreign interests while elevating extremist political figures inside the United States.
For critics, this supports a long-held view that CAIR is not simply a civil rights group but an anti-American influence operation. If the NCRI report is correct, it is doing this work while hiding from the regulatory system meant to protect American voters.
The full report can be read at:
https://networkcontagion.us/wp-content/uploads/Foreign-Lines-of-Influence.pdf
