Controversy erupted when Hawaii congressman Tulsi Gabbard visited Syria and Lebanon this week. During her visit, she met with Bashar Al-Assad, who is responsible for the civil war that murdered half a million people over the past six years. Initially, Gabbard refused to disclose who financed the trip and her press secretary only indicated that it was not paid for with American tax dollars. However, The Daily Beast revealed that it was sponsored by an organization called the Arab American Community Center for Economic and Social Services, or AACCESS-Ohio for short.
Accompanying Gabbard in Syria were former Congressman Dennis Kucinich and two men named Elie and Bassam Khawam. Bassam Khawam is the executive director of ACCESS-Ohio. While Gabbard states these men are “peace advocates,” The Daily Beast revealed the following information about the Khawam brothers:
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