Todd Rokita says he wants to expose terrorists. Pro-Palestine groups say it’s a publicity stunt

On the three-year anniversary of an attack on Israel, Indiana’s Attorney General is launching investigations into two groups he believes could be affiliates of foreign terrorist organizations.

Among other things, Todd Rokita’s office will be seeking information about whether the two groups created anti-Israeli sentiment following the Oct. 7 attacks.

The investigation will look into the Council on American Islamic Relations, or CAIR, and Students for Justice in Palestine.

The groups have both been identified by the Anti-Defamation League, an advocacy group that tracks antisemitism and extremism, for anti-Israeli statements, including in the wake of October 7th.

In a statement, Rokita said, “that terrorist supporters are not welcome in the great Hoosier state.”

Rokita’s investigations are permitted under legislation passed earlier this year. A new law allows the state to take steps against terrorist affiliated organizations.

That process, outlined by the AG’s office, allows for an investigation into organizations with recommendations made to the Governor, who has the final say on whether to formally identify a group as a terrorist affiliate.

CAIR has been in Indiana news recently, calling out repeated statements from Lt. Governor Micah Beckwith about hating Islam and wanting to ban the call to prayer.

Beckwith’s statements have drawn lawmakers and religious leaders to the statehouse, urging Gov. Mike Braun to support religious freedom.

In a statement responding to Rokita’s move, National Deputy Director for CAIR, Edward Ahmed Mitchell, said they have been working to protect free speech and uphold religious freedom.

“CAIR has also been a vocal advocate for a just, peaceful American foreign policy,” he said. “We have opposed illegal wars, ethnic cleansing, genocide, and all forms of terrorism; in fact, we condemned terrorism so vocally that ISIS once called for the assassination of our national director.”

Mitchell called the AG’s investigation a “publicity stunt” and pointed to Rokita’s reprimand by the Indiana Supreme Court as evidence of a pattern of misconduct.

“This publicity stunt will not, God willing, distract us from our focus on protecting the civil rights of our community and our neighbors,” Mitchell said.

Contact Government Reporter Benjamin Thorp at bthorp@wfyi.org