I was particularly struck by this story as it broke yesterday, because of the connection of a former congressman/diplomat to terrorism. But as i look at this story, I'm struck by one thing -- this case appears to be less about terrorism than it is about garden variety greed and avarice, and an ordinary white collar crime.

A former congressman and delegate to the United Nations was indicted Wednesday as part of a terrorist fundraising ring that allegedly sent more than $130,000 to an al-Qaida and Taliban supporter who has threatened U.S. and international troops in Afghanistan.

Mark Deli Siljander, a Michigan Republican when he was in the House, was charged with money laundering, conspiracy and obstructing justice for allegedly lying about lobbying senators on behalf of an Islamic charity that authorities said was secretly sending funds to terrorists.

A 42-count indictment, unsealed in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., accuses the Islamic American Relief Agency of paying Siljander $50,000 for the lobbying — money that turned out to be stolen from the U.S. Agency for International Development.

And the more I read about the case, the more confirmed in my opinion that Siljander was not conspiring to support terrorism so much as he was to line his own pockets. The indictment seems to confirm that

Siljander, 56, is founder and chairman of Global Strategies in Great Falls, a public relations and marketing firm, and is slated to publish a book in June focused on bridging the divide between Christians and Muslims.

The charity, which was based in Columbia, Mo., allegedly paid Siljander $50,000 in March 2004 to lobby the Senate Finance Committee in an attempt to be kept off a list of terrorist organizations. Senate records indicate that Siljander has not been registered as a lobbyist since 1998.

According to the indictment, the money was stolen from the U.S. Agency for International Development, and Siljander lied to federal agents about his role.

In other words, his role seems to have been one of lobbyist, not a knowing participant in an effort to fund terrorism. Indeed, if he had not engaged in a course of action designed to shift government funds from their intended purpose to his own bank account and later lying about it, he would in all likelihood be guilty of nothing criminal. But the actions of which he is accused are clearly part of a scheme to defraud and deceive, and that is criminal in and of itself, even without the ties to a terrorist related group. But I wonder to what degree Siljander was duped by a group that was already seeking to dupe the government -- after all, there is no honor among thieves.

Debbie Schlussel has a post of note about this case. Many years ago, Siljander was not just her congressman, but also her employer. Her words on the matter seem to confirm my take -- namely that this has has less to do with supporting terrorism than it does with a desire to grab some cash. She notes that Siljander has had financial problems since leaving Congress, and that he had a consistent pro-Israel record and was outspoken against Middle Eastern terrorist groups.

H/T Captain's Quarters

Posted by: Greg at 10:59 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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