Dennis Kucinich cozying up to the butcher of Syria. Again

Local Israel-hater Paul Larudee is in the news again.  His non -profit “Association for Investment in Popular Action Committees” is under scrutiny for paying Ohio gubernatorial candidate  Dennis Kunich tens of thousands of dollars to speak at a conference hosted by pro-Assad radicals.  Kucinich, 71, served in Congress from 1997 to 2013, before his loss to fellow Democrat Marcy Kaptur.  Kucinich  had initially failed to disclose this payment in state ethics filings.

The non-profit The Association for Investment in Popular Action Committees  operates out of Paul Larudee’s home high in the El Cerrito hills  and acts as the parent organization for the pro-Assad  Syria Solidarity Movement.  Co-founder of the group, Kamal Obeid is a conspiracy theorist and a member of Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth. Paul Larudee gained notoriety by his participation in the blockade running Gaza flotillas, and his meeting with Hamas terror group leader Ismail Haniyah.

Paul Larudee Feted by Hamas  leaders in Gaza

Assad,  widely considered by the world to be a war criminal, met with Kucinich during the trip.  It wasn't their first time meeting.

From cleveland.com
Dennis Kucinich must sever ties with apologists for Syrian dictator Bashar Assad: editorial

In 2007, our editorial board condemned Dennis Kucinich's "pseudo-diplomacy in the Middle East." Instead of assisting the cause of peace, he'd allowed himself to be used as a propagandist for the vile Syrian dictator Bashar Assad. That was compounded by the tone-deaf way Kucinich financed a number of his Syria trips with special-interest cash, undercutting any pretense to an untainted view of the Syrian conflict.

Regarding the 2007 trip, Kucinich told The Plain Dealer's Stephen Koff it was paid for out of his presidential campaign funds -- although a campaign spokeswoman later said she'd "heard that a group of people in Cleveland were paying for it." Kucinich's prior trip to Syria, Lebanon and Jerusalem, in 2006, had been financed by AACCESS-Ohio, a local Arab-American group with pro-Assad views.

From cleveland.com

In spite of his cozying up to war criminals, and taking funds from extremists, the paper has enforced Kucinich in the governor's race.

An online petition has started, requesting that the Cleveand Plain Dealer  revoke their endorsement of Kucinich in light of these current revelations.

In light of the revelations that Dennis Kucinich was paid to give a speech to an organization sympathetic to Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, we the undersigned demand that the Plain Dealer/Cleveland.com revoke their endorsement of Mr. Kucinich.

The Association for Investment in Popular Action Committees, who paid Mr. Kucinich $20,000 for the speech, is a front group for a number of organizations that have:

Expressed support for keeping the murderous dictator Bashar al-Assad in power.
Denied both Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and Russia's involvement in the use of a nerve agent on British soil.

Claimed that "Doctors Without Borders, Amnesty International — both past winners of the Nobel Peace Prize — and the White Helmets — nominated for the prestigious award — and others documenting the violence and helping victims of the long-running Syrian battles are actually front groups for the U.S."

In addition, the Association for Investment in Popular Action Committees' treasurer, Paul LaRudee, has written a blog post claiming that Israel is a "racist state" and that he would encourage companies to boycott all Israeli products until Israel "dissolves itself".  Mr. LaRudee has also stated that the "Judaization" of Jerusalem must be stopped. 

Please sign and promote this petition to your lists.

Also consider  contacting the IRS  to have the non-profit status of Paul Larudee's  “ Association for Investment in Popular Action Committees” revoked.

Members of the public may send information that raises questions about an exempt organization's compliance with the Internal Revenue Code to IRS - EO Referrals, 1100 Commerce Street, MC 4910 DAL, Dallas, TX 75242.  They may use Form 13909, Tax-Exempt Organization Complaint (Referral) Form, for this purpose.

In addition to oversight by the IRS, tax-exempt organizations are subject to oversight by State charity regulators and State tax agencies. You may also want to send a copy of the referral you send to us to your state charity regulator and/or state tax agency.

UPDATE
Kucinich has said he will be returning a $20,000 speaking fee he received from Larudee's pro-Assad group.