Kerry Taking Campaign Contributions From Pro-Iranian Group

The chairman of a pro-Iranian democracy group is charging that the campaign of Sen. John Kerry has been accepting political contributions from a lobbying group promoting the agenda of the mullah rulers of Iran. Aryo Pirouznia, leader of the Student Movement Coordination Committee for Democracy in Iraq (SMCCDI) says that backers of the regime in Tehran are channeling hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Kerry campaign.

Once nominated by President Bill Clinton to be U.S. ambassador to Argentina, Nemazee has raised more than $100,000 for Kerry. Nemazee withdrew his name from consideration following allegations of improper business dealings.

On March 19, 2004, Nemazee was listed as a vice chairman by the Kerry campaign, and on June 18, 2004, CBS News reported that Nemazee was part a group that raised more than $500,000.

Other key Kerry fundraisers with similar ties include Susan Akbarpour, a recent immigrant from Iran whom the campaign lists as raising between $50,000 and $100,000 and her husband, Faraj Aelaei, a telecommunications executive raising the same amount.

Iran has been alternately threatening to develop nuclear weapons and insisting that it needs uranium for energy production. During the first presidential debate, Kerry suggested that he would provide nuclear fuel to Iran.

Kerry was critical of President George W. Bush, who called Iran a member of the "Axis of Evil" along with North Korea and Iraq when it was controlled by the regime of Saddam Hussein. Kerry lamented that the U.S. passed up an opportunity to join the Great Britain, France, and Germany in engaging Iran.

Kerry said, "I think the United States should have offered the opportunity to provide the nuclear fuel, test them, see whether or not they were actually looking for it for peaceful purposes."

The Democrat's web site reiterates the "global test" he proposes for the mullah government. Kerry's plan is to "call their bluff by organizing a group of states to offer Iran the nuclear fuel they need for peaceful purposes and take back the spent fuel so they cannot divert it to build a weapon. If Iran does not accept this offer, their true motivations will be clear."

In one of his public statements about Iran, Kerry said, "I will be prepared early on to explore areas of mutual interest with Iran, just as I was prepared to normalize relations with Vietnam a decade ago."

Following Kerry's advocacy on behalf of the communist government of Vietnam, Hanoi awarded a contract to Boston real estate firm Colliers International. At the time, the senator's cousin Stuart Forbes was head of the company.

...the campaign of Sen. John Kerry has been accepting political contributions from a lobbying group promoting the agenda of the mullah rulers of Iran.

While Kerry sings, all the way to the bank, "He ain't heavy, he's my mullah!"

Global tests and global pests, nuances and nuisances. Death and taxes, the only two "competencies" that liberals mastered throughout the twentieth century and which they now carry forward into the 21st. Maybe Kerry can perform as well in Iran as did his illustrious predecessor, Jimmy Carter.

During a press conference in Washington on Thursday, Pirouznia identified several individuals who have close ties to the Democratic presidential candidate. The most prominent of them is Hassan Nemazee, a New York investment banker and a member of the board of the American-Iranian Council (AIC). A chief goal of the lobbying group is the removal of U.S. sanctions against Iran.
Once nominated by President Bill Clinton to be U.S. ambassador to Argentina, Nemazee has raised more than $100,000 for Kerry. Nemazee withdrew his name from consideration following allegations of improper business dealings.

On March 19, 2004, Nemazee was listed as a vice chairman by the Kerry campaign, and on June 18, 2004, CBS News reported that Nemazee was part a group that raised more than $500,000.

I thought I'd archive this for background:

Mr. Hassan Nemazee was born in Washington, D.C. on January 27, 1950 and attended Landon School, graduating in 1968. He received his AB degree with Honors from Harvard University in 1972.
Mr. Nemazee is the Chairman and CEO of Nemazee Capital Corporation. Nemazee Capital Corporation is a holdings company, which invests in both public and private companies.
From 1979 to 1987, he served as Chairman and CEO of HN Properties, which developed real estate in Houston, Texas and Suburban Washington, D.C.
From 1972 to 1979, Mr. Nemazee served as Chairman and CEO of Nemazee Holdings. Nemazee Holdings was joint venture partner of American International Group, Morgan Bank and Linbeck Construction in Iran.
- Member of Board of Trustees Asia Society March 2003
- Nominated by President Clinton to be the U.S. Ambassador to Argentina 1999
- Member of the Visiting Committee of the Center for International Affairs, Harvard University. 1998 - present
- Member of the Visiting Committee on University Resources, Harvard University 1986 - 2002
- Member of the Board of Directors, American Iranian Council 2001 - 2002
- Member of the Middle East Center Advisory Council at Harvard University 1990 - 1994
- Member of International Affairs Planning Committee, Harvard University 1990 - 1995
- Named a John Harvard Fellow 1996
- Vice Chairman of Encyclopedia Iranica affiliated with Columbia University 1990 - 1998
- Member of the Board of Trustees of the Spence School 1993 - 1997
- Member of the Board of Trustees of the Brian Trauma Foundation 1996 - present
http://www.iranianamericanpac.org/leadership/p_nemazee.shtml

BTW, I wasn't aware that Brian Trauma was such a problem.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.