A press release from Americans Against Hate:
(Coral Springs, FL) Rene Alexander Acosta, the newly appointed Interim U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, in May of 2005, received the 2005 ‘Friend in Government’ Award from the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), a group that has a long history of support for terrorist organizations.
Terror groups that ADC has publicly declared its support for include Hamas and Hezbollah. In June of 1993, then-ADC President Albert Mokhiber stated, “Most outrageous of all the allegations ‘reported’ by [Patrick] Symmes was his opinion that ‘Hamas is a band of murderers.'” In November of 1994, then-ADC President Hamzi Moghrabi stated, “I mean, I know many people in Hamas. They are very respectable. They don’t accept violence. And I don’t believe Hamas, as an organization, is a violent organization.” In August of 1996, then-ADC President Hala Maksoud stated, “Hezbollah is a Lebanese resistance organization”¦ This hardly qualifies as terrorism.” In May of 2000, then-ADC Spokesman Hussein Ibish stated, “Everywhere Hezbollah fighters, derided by the Israeli and U.S. governments as ‘terrorists,’ conducted themselves in an exemplary manner… [Hezbollah is] a disciplined and responsible liberation force.”
The May 2005 event (ADC’s 25th Year Silver Anniversary Convention) was not the first time Rene Alexander Acosta was honored by ADC. He was also a 2004 recipient of ADC Michigan’s ‘Distinguished Leadership Award.’
Americans Against Hate (AAH) points to Acosta’s work with ADC as a reason why he has received such ‘honors.’ In August of 2004, at the behest of ADC President Mary Rose Oakar, Acosta used his position in the Department of Justice, as Assistant Attorney General, to write a letter addressing ADC’s concerns about discrimination in schools.
AAH also points out that, at the same event Acosta was honored, ADC received a $6 million donation from Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, the same individual whose $10 million dollar donation to New York was refused by then Mayor Rudy Giuliani, after the 9/11 attacks.
AAH Chairman Joe Kaufman stated, “Interim U.S. Attorney Acosta, who may very well soon be named the full time U.S. Attorney (for the Southern District of Florida), must understand there is a conflict of interest with a government official charged with protecting the safety of American citizens from terrorism, who assists and accepts awards from those that support that very same terrorism. We ask that, if Interim U.S. Attorney Acosta continues to act in such a manner, he step down from his post and not accept any further appointments to government positions.”
Further information on this subject can be found on Militant Islam Monitor.