MKO’s Dollars Challenging “Material Support”

Policy of spending lavish money for organizational achievements is a top priority within MKO

The gravy train on which some prominent Americans rode seems to be perforce halted in an outstation. The US Treasury Department appears to have begun an inquiry to see whether the speaking fees paid by Mojahedin Khalq Organization MKO to its American advocates who have spoken on its behalf are illegal. In an earlier report by The Washington Times, Edward G. Rendell, the former Democratic governor of Pennsylvania and an outspoken supporter of MKO, has been subpoenaed by the Treasury Department. He is asked to turn over information on his relationship with the designated terrorist group. Of course, Mr. Rendell is only one among the long list of former officials, including former directors of the Central Intelligence Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and many more, who have accepted fees to speak on behalf of MKO in Paris and Geneva as well as appearing in online videos and participating in arranged rallies. Mr. Rendell asserts that he has been paid between $150,000 to $160,000 for seven or eight speeches in support of MKO and calling for its removal from the terrorist list.

And it is not the first and will not be the last time that the media expose such scandals and it did not come as a shock for many of those who are privy to the ploys and crafts of the terrorist group. But the importance lays in the fact that it is the first time the Treasury Department reacts and summons an advocate to probe into the case.

For years, the conferences held in European countries as well as expensive newspaper and television advertisements have been organized by MKO’s alias and advocacy groups in the United States, one of which to name is the Iranian-American Community of Northern California. MKO has set a big table of dollars for anyone who cannot resist easy money in exchange to scarify his/er reputation and only to voice the words dictated to him. The spell of the received money and luxurious, expenses-paid trips being broken, few of these loyalists and backers seem to have faith in the nonsenses they publicized and then begin to look for justification of advocacy for the group. In a voice mail message left with the Inquirer Mr. Rendell stated: “I got involved because they asked me. I did extensive research and I looked at the other people who were involved and they were generals and former elected officials. I had great confidence in them”. By these words, one might doubt the legitimacy and efficiency of these personalities in holding sensitive past government posts and policy makings.

The truth many are unconscious is that MKO is an excellent master of crafting slogans to win the hearts of pro-democratic politicians, parliamentarians and activists. It fills their minds with buzzwords like “liberty”, “human rights”, “democracy” “women” and the like to convince them that it is struggling to advocate democracy for Iran and Iranian people. And of course, few of these bipartisan are acquainted with or have accurately studied about its past terrorist careers, crimes and atrocities not only against Iranian people but also against Americans in Pahlavi’s reign and the Iraqi people in Saddam’s dictatorial era.

Frankly speaking, the policy of spending lavish money for organizational achievements is an adopted top priority within MKO and all ranking commanders are fully briefed on the issue. Once in 2007 Mehdi Abrishamchi, Maryam Rajavi’s ex-husband, in a direct TV program stated that “let me tell you frankly that so far as it concerns us [MKO], we never let any of the organization’s political projects come to a halt for financial restrictions”. The dilemma MKO is facing at the time being for sure requires great expenses to designate quota of jobs to be done and words to be voiced by the high-profile European and American supporters. And the offered Euros and dollars are so beguiling that hardly any of them dare to resist.
Sattar Orangi, Mojahedin.ws, March 16, 2012
http://www.mojahedin.ws/en/?p=15829