Information
Organization's Own Description:
During his presidential campaign and his first months in office, George W. Bush had no stronger supporter than Grover Norquist, the president of Americans for Tax Reform. During the New Hampshire primary, Norquist’s group ran television ads that morphed the face of Arizona senator John McCain into that of President Bill Clinton (see " New Hampshire Diary, " News and Features, January 12, 2000). When Bush finally took office, Norquist became a key ally in the president’s tax-cut quest. In its May 14 issue, the Nation highlighted the relationship in a piece titled " Grover Norquist: ‘Field Marshal of the Bush Plan.’ "
But now, as Bush embarks on a war against terrorism, the president may find Norquist more of a liability than an asset: the tax reformer has emerged as one of the leading conservative critics of the administration’s legislative response to terror, the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2001. Certainly, Norquist is no defender of terror or terrorists. Still, he has, in a political and a business capacity, befriended those who have failed to renounce terror. And if you don’t toe the party line on terror these days, you’re not in the party.
The Protestant Norquist is a founding director of the Islamic Institute, a socially conservative Muslim think tank that eschews international issues in favor of domestic issues such as tax cuts and faith-based initiatives. In addition, Norquist’s lobbying firm, Janus-Merritt Strategies LLC, was officially registered as a lobbyist for the Islamic Institute as well as for Abdurahman Alamoudi, the founder and former executive director of the American Muslim Council. Public records show that Alamoudi has done more than $20,000 worth of business with Norquist’s firm, on issues relating to Malaysia. One source says the lobbying involved efforts on behalf of reformist Islamic leader Anwar Ibrahim, imprisoned in Malaysia, whose cause has been taken up by Amnesty International, among others.
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