CPAC is the year’s preeminent conservative conference, bringing together the right and the far-right, but one very prominent neo-conservative voice had vowed to boycott the event this year because, he claimed, the Muslim Bortherhood had “infiltrated” its ranks. Center for Security Policy head Frank Gaffney has made a career of spinning theories about Islamic extremists infiltrating the federal government, but could radical Reaganites really be abetting radical Islamists?
ThinkProgress asked him the question Friday afternoon when we spotted him breaking his self-imposed exile to “do some interviews” at CPAC (we saw him again Saturday morning as well). In a lengthy interview with ThinkProgress, Gaffney warned that Grover Norquist, the anti-tax activist and influential Republican strategist, was spearheading “active measure” campaigns within the conservative establishment on behalf of the Muslim Brotherhood. “I belive the conservative movement is being subjected to a concerted Muslim Brotherhood infiltration effort,” Gaffney told us, adding that Norquist began his insidious effort in the 1980s. Norquist’s wife is Muslim.
Asked for evidence of infiltration at CPAC, Gaffney pointed to the presence of Norquist — indeed, they passed within 20 feet of each other at one point — and of former Bush Muslim outreach director Suhail Kahn, whom Gaffney also accused of aiding the Muslim Brotherhood. Asked for further evidence, Gaffney came up empty, saying, “I have not been here long enough.” The presence of Norquist and Kahn was “sufficient” evidence “to be of concern,” Gaffney explained. Watch ThinkProgress’ full ten-minute interview with Gaffney:
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