Former Congressman Mistakes Americans for Soviets

According to this wire story, former Republican congressman Mark Deli Siljander, a conservative Christian who served Michigan's 4th congressional district from 1981-87, has been charged with conspiracy in an investigation of the Islamic American Relief Agency, a Missouri-based charity accused of laundering money to the Taliban and its allies. During his stint in the House, Siljander was a staunch cold warrior, offering support to the Contras, UNITA, and any group opposed to the ANC (i.e., the apartheid regime). Now, perhaps in an attempt to gin up Hollywood interest, he's trying out his Charlie Wilson routine. From the AP:

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.

The former Republican congressman from Michigan, Mark Deli Siljander, 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.

The congressman has a rather colorful history. In 1986, Siljander lost his bid for reelection, he speculated, after asking voters to "break the back of satan" by granting him another term in the House. He acknowledged contemporaneously that his apocalyptic outburst perhaps "should have been re-worded." During his time on the Hill, Siljander campaigned to have gay-themed books removed from public libraries (targeting books like The Lord is My Shepherd and He Knows I'm Gay), introduced a bill to condemn Louis Farrakhan's "racism and anti-Semitism," and campaigned for the sale of F-16s to Israel. In 1985, the Washington Post reported on Siljander's visit to a Jewish Coalition fundraiser, during which he determined that Jews are capitalists just like regular old Christians:

Michigan conservative Rep. Mark Deli Siljander is not Jewish but he was at one Jewish Coalition reception—and not by accident. He is a member of the Conservative Opportunity Society, pushing a modified 10 percent flat tax. "Some in the Jewish community are starting to see us Republicans as younger, less isolated, interested in global perspectives. Jews are professionals -- they feel they are paying too many taxes. They believe in the free enterprise system. "Just," said the Republican congressman, "like us."

Comments

Tom Walls | January 16, 2008, 5:15pm | #

One of the alleged recipients was Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. A lot of US$ went to Hekmatyar in the 1980s via Pakistan's ISI.

Hek is one nasty sumbitch (I read an outrageous column by Eric Margolis defending him).

tom brandt | January 16, 2008, 5:21pm | #

Minor nit: Siljander represented Michigan's Fourth district, not the First. During that period, the First district was represented by John Conyers, a rather different person.

Michael Moynihan | January 16, 2008, 5:21pm | #

Interesting. Thanks Tom. I was poking around to see if there was a connection between the ISI operation and Siljander. Nothing I see so far. Odd, because he seems to have been involved in Contra/Unita/El Salvador funding stuff...That said, the Afghan operation, though everyone was aware of it, was less public.

Michael Moynihan | January 16, 2008, 5:22pm | #

Thanks other Tom. I'll fix it.

de stijl | January 16, 2008, 5:28pm | #

Mark Deli Siljander

His name makes me mighty uncomfortable. He needs to add a T and drop a few extraneous letters.

crimethink | January 16, 2008, 5:37pm | #

Some in the Jewish community are starting to see us Republicans as younger, less isolated, interested in global perspectives.

I think the word is "cosmopolitan", Congressman...

lol | January 16, 2008, 5:38pm | #

PWNED

Fluffy | January 16, 2008, 5:49pm | #

Why don't we wait to make sure this isn't another anti-Muslim witch hunt on the part of the Bush DOJ.

As far as they are concerned, being connected with any Islamic charity, activist group, think tank, etc., makes you a terrorist, and anyone who sits next to you on a bus has abetted terrorism. This congressman sounds like a big a-hole, but I will disregard virtually any prosecution of this kind as just more DOJ garbage.

Tom Walls | January 16, 2008, 5:51pm | #

This is pretty good:

http://www.warlordsofafghanistan.com/gulbuddin-hekmatyar.php

jet | January 16, 2008, 6:21pm | #

Mark Deli Siljander

His name makes me mighty uncomfortable. He needs to add a T and drop a few extraneous letters.

"Mark Deli Sandwich"

Rimfax | January 16, 2008, 6:23pm | #

Uh, I'm pretty sure that the ANC ("African National Congress") was against apartheid.

Rimfax | January 16, 2008, 6:24pm | #

Oops, duh, I misunderstood. The "i.e." is saying that he was in favor of the apartheid regime. Sorry.

VM | January 16, 2008, 6:29pm | #

"jet | January 16, 2008, 6:21pm | #
Mark Deli Siljander

His name makes me mighty uncomfortable. He needs to add a T and drop a few extraneous letters.

"Mark Deli Sandwich""

I'm sorry. It's pronounced, "Throatwabbler Mangrove".

Rimfax - yes -anti communist.

Cesar | January 16, 2008, 8:12pm | #

You know if this was a Democrat, Eric Dondero would have twenty-five comments posted by now.

thoreau | January 16, 2008, 9:30pm | #

Former Congressman Mistakes Americans for Soviets

It's a common Republican mistake. A lot of them think that this is the sort of country where it's OK to torture people, hold them without trial, and spy on citizens at whim.

Pro Libertate | January 16, 2008, 9:45pm | #

VM,

I thought it was pronounced "Raymond Luxury Yacht."

Tbone | January 16, 2008, 10:07pm | #

Thoreau wins the thread.

Frontline last night had a good synopsis of White House/DOJ mendacity on surveillance/FISA/torture but to see it revisited in encapsulated form refreshed my outrage at the audacity of these sumbitches.

We should have a catchphrase for this, something along the lines of "Never Forget".

Cesar | January 17, 2008, 12:26am | #

It's a common Republican mistake. A lot of them think that this is the sort of country where it's OK to torture people, hold them without trial, and spy on citizens at whim.

Thoreau, thats awesome.

Joe Allen, just give it up already.

JLE | January 17, 2008, 2:42am | #

Wow, no disrespect, but I just wasted ten minutes reading circular arguments.

They take who they want.

VM | January 17, 2008, 9:17am | #

oooh! DoktorT!

Now, this is just a rumor... but I heard that he mistook Larry Craig for a ladies' man, too!


ah, thank you ProGLib!