BREAKING: Former *Congressman* & Delegate To The UN Indicted For Terrorist Fundraising
Update: Former Two-Term Republican Mark Deli Siljander from Michigan

The stub has no more than that, yet. I'll Google so I can get a name.

And, of course, the party affiliation, which certainly won't be mentioned by AP if it's Democratic.

Update -- Named: And he's a Republican. From Michigan, of course.

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.

Siljander, who served two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, was appointed by President Reagan to serve as a U.S. delegate to the United Nations for one year in 1987.

Prosecute him for treason as well, and seek the death penalty.

But of course they won't. Treason's apparently a misdemeanor now.

You could get a ticket for that. And then your auto insurance rates will skyrocket, baby.

Thanks to Infidels Are Cool.

Wikipedia: Some info. He hasn't been a Republican politician since the late eighties. At least there's that.

Siljander was elected by special election as a Representative from Michigan's 4th congressional district to the 97th Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of David A. Stockman, and was subsequently reelected to the two succeeding Congresses, serving from April 21, 1981 to January 3, 1987. He was defeated in the 1986 Republican primary by his successor Fred Upton. He served on International Relations Middle East and Africa Subcommittees. He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination to the 100th Congress in 1986.

Siljander was appointed by U.S. President Ronald Reagan as an alternate representative to the United Nations General Assembly, serving from September 1987 to September 1988.

He was an unsuccessful candidate in 1992 for nomination to the 103rd Congress and is a resident of Reston, Virginia.

[edit] Private career

He is president of Global Strategies, Inc., a consulting firm in Washington, D.C., operates an import-export firm, and works as a radio commentator.

[edit] Religion

Siljander takes an interest in conflict resolution, particularly in Islamic countries, and in recent years has tried to publicize the common ground between Christianity and Islam, particularly in the Koran's portrayal of Jesus. This is a turnaround from a previous position in which he objected to the Koran being read at a prayer breakfast, asking the emcee: "How can you read the book of the devil at a prayer breakfast?" [1] He is widely traveled, and claims to have visited over 120 countries.[2] Siljander is also one of the few American politicians to have visited Libya in recent years.

[edit] 2008 indictment

On January 16, 2008 Siljander was indicted[3] for his role in helping the Islamic American Relief Agency raise more than $130,000 that was allegedly sent to the Taliban and Al-Qaeda.[4] Siljander faces charges of money laundering, conspiracy, and obstruction of justice for allegedly lying to investigators about lobbying senators on behalf of the charity.

Next question, I guess, is who it was he lobbied, and what results he got.

Thanks to kratatoa for suggesting the wikipedia check.

Update: Former Two-Term Republican Mark Deli Siljander from Michigan&bodytext=The stub has no more than that, yet. I'll Google so I can get a name. And, of course, the party affiliation, which certainly won't be mentioned by AP if it's Democratic. Update -- Named: And he's a Republican. From...&topic=world_news"> posted by Ace at 04:09 PM

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