Republicans on the House Financial Services Committee are intensifying their investigation into the funding behind anti-Israel campus protests, the Washington Examiner reported.
The committee, led by Republicans, is scrutinizing whether anti-Israel campus protests are being funded by terrorist organizations. Republican Reps. Bill Huizenga of Michigan, chairman of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, and Blaine Luetkemeyer of Missouri, chairmen of the Subcommittee on National Security, Illicit Finance, and International Financial Institutions, have formally requested the Treasury Department investigate the issue.
In a letter sent to Andrea Gacki, director of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, the congressmen urge the agency to use its authority under the Patriot Act to detect and combat terrorist financing. The letter calls for FinCEN to brief the committee by Oct. 15 on how it is tracking the funding sources for student protests.
"The ability of the protesters to organize quickly, disrupt critical infrastructure, and the apparent ties to Hamas pose a serious threat to our national security," wrote Huizenga and Luetkemeyer.
The lawmakers said FinCEN has both the tools and responsibility to ensure that foreign terrorist organizations, including Hamas, do not infiltrate or fund domestic groups.
The inquiry follows two congressional hearings chaired by Huizenga in late 2023, which examined Iran's financial networks and their potential role in supporting terrorism. Huizenga also sponsored legislation to cut off the Iranian government from U.S. financial systems.
The bill, which passed the House with a 294-105 vote, seeks to block the Iranian government's access to international financial institutions such as the Export-Import Bank and the International Monetary Fund. It remains pending in the Senate.
"It is critical that we protect the American financial system, especially when there are those who wish to exploit it," Huizenga told the Washington Examiner.
He added that since the attacks on Israel by Hamas on Oct. 7, his subcommittee has been pressing for answers on how Iran-backed terrorist groups, including Hamas and Hezbollah, receive their funding. Huizenga emphasized the importance of identifying Michigan-based individuals or groups coordinating with foreign adversaries.
Concerns over Iranian influence on American protests have grown in recent months. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines has warned that Iran is actively trying to interfere in U.S. affairs, including by stoking anti-Israel demonstrations. In July, Haines revealed that Iran had been posing as activists online and providing financial support to some protest groups.
"In recent weeks, Iranian government actors have sought to opportunistically take advantage of ongoing protests regarding the war in Gaza," Haines stated in a press release on the DNI website. She added that the tactics employed by Iran mirror a "playbook" used by other foreign actors in the past to encourage and fund protests within the U.S.
In September, four protesters, none of whom were students, were arrested at the University of Michigan after disrupting a campus event. In their letter, Huizenga and Luetkemeyer pointed out that protests had resumed on some campuses.