Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, is urging the Internal Revenue Service to scrutinize whether the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) breached federal restrictions on tax-exempt entities by allegedly permitting campaign activity on behalf of Democratic Senate hopeful Abdul El-Sayed at its annual convention.
Self dispatched a formal letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, grounding his request in a detailed account from the Middle East Forum about El-Sayeds appearance at the 63rd annual ISNA Convention in Detroit earlier this month, according to Just The News. The Texas Republican is pressing for clarity on whether a nonprofit organization benefiting from tax-exempt status effectively provided a platform for partisan electioneering, a practice conservatives have long warned can turn charities into political machines.
The Middle East Forums report states that El-Sayeds campaign operated an exhibitor booth inside the convention hall, where campaign workers promoted his candidacy, solicited donations and recruited volunteers. Such activity, if verified, would raise serious questions about ISNAs compliance with federal law that bars 501(c)(3) organizations from directly intervening in political campaigns.
For conservatives who have repeatedly watched left-leaning causes enjoy institutional cover, the allegations underscore a broader concern that enforcement of tax rules is often uneven and politicized. Selfs request for an IRS investigation seeks not only to determine whether ISNA crossed a legal line, but also whether federal authorities are willing to apply the law consistently when progressive candidates and causes are involved.
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