Not to be confused with the Washington Trust Charitable Foundation

The Washington Trust Foundation is allegedly a nonprofit connected to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and its head, Nihad Awad. The Washington Trust Foundation has no website or public activity, but according to tax forms, the Washington Trust Foundation is run by CAIR-affiliated individuals and engages in financial transactions with CAIR. ¹

Organization

The Washington Trust Foundation is allegedly a nonprofit organization run by or connected to Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) head Nihad Awad. According to a 2003 legal deposition, Awad’s full name is “Nihad Awad Hammad,” who is the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), but he reportedly also uses the names “Nehad Hammad” or “Nihad Hammad.” On the tax forms for the Washington Trust Foundation for 2022 and 2023, the president was listed as “Nehad Hammad,” while from 2021 to at least 2015, the president was listed as “Nihad Hammad.” ^{2 3 4 5}

The website CAIR Leadership Accountability reports that aside from CAIR and the Washington Trust Foundation, Awad has been listed as an officer on tax forms through one of his names of the Greater Washington LLC of Delaware, Clear Consulting, Inc., and Celestium Consulting LLC. Through headquarters locations and CAIR personnel, Awad is also connected to the Zahara Investment Corporation and the 120a East Broad St LLC. ⁴

In December 2023, the Biden administration publicly disavowed Awad and CAIR after Awad said he was “happy to see” the October 7, 2023, terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel. CAIR claims no connection to the Hamas terrorist group. Awad blamed Israel for an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate then-former President Donald Trump. ^{2 5 6}

Activity

The Washington Trust Foundation does not have a website. ⁷ According to Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) tax forms, assets are often exchanged between CAIR and the Washington Trust Foundation. ^{8 9 10}

Leadership

Ihsan Bagby is the secretary of the Washington Trust Foundation and an emeritus professor of Arabic and Islamic studies at the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences. Bagby was a board member of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) from 1995 to 2013. ^{3 11 12}

Allam Al-Alami is a member of the board of directors of the Washington Trust Foundation. In 2017, Al-Alami was a treasurer and board member of the Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center. ^{3 13}

Esam Omeish is the chairman of the Washington Trust Foundation. Omeish is a Libyan-American physician and former president of the Muslim American Society, as well as a board member of Northern Virginia’s Dar Al-Hijrah mosque. In 2007, then-Virginia Governor Tim Kaine (D) appointed Omeish to serve on the state’s immigration committee, but Omeish resigned after revelations that he had encouraged Muslims to embrace the “Jihad way” as “a way to liberate your land” at a rally years earlier. In 2009, Omeish ran for the Virginia House of Delegates as a Democrat and was defeated in the primary. In June 2009, then-U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (D) invited Omeish and 100 to 200 American Muslim leaders to participate in a conference call. ^{3 14 15 16 17}

1. “History.” Washington Trust. Accessed January 19, 2025. https://www.washtrust.com/about/history.
2. Ross, Chuck. “CAIR Honcho and ‘Squad’ Donor Suggests Israel Behind Suspected Iranian Plot To Assassinate Trump.” The Washington Free Beacon. July 17, 2024. Accessed January 19, 2025. https://freebeacon.com/israel/cair-honcho-and-squad-donor-suggests-israel-behind-suspected-iranian-plot-to-assassinate-trump/.
3. “Washington Trust Foundation Form 990.” ProPublica. Accessed January 19, 2025. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/521887951/202413199349304646/full.
4. “Nihad Awad Inc.” CAIR Leadership Accountability. Accessed January 19, 2025. https://cairawad.com/nihad-awad-inc/.
5. “CAIR Officials Sought Gaddafi Money.” The Investigative Project on Terrorism. March 22, 2011. Accessed January 19, 2025. https://www.investigativeproject.org/2709/cair-officials-sought-gaddafi-money.
6. Baker, Peter. “White House Disavows U.S. Islamic Group After Leader’s Oct. 7 Remarks.” The New York Times. December 8, 2023. Accessed January 19, 2025. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/08/us/politics/white-house-cair-nihad-awad.html.
7. “Google search: Washington Trust Foundation.” Google. Accessed January 19, 2025. https://www.google.com/search?q=%22washington+trust+foundation%22&sca_esv=c3860552ec9c0b33&sxsrf=ADLYWIKKC8FGvivKExBD_8WMNic_Y1nnwA%3A1737305850317&source=hp&ei=-i6NZ_ewENq9ptQPspfw-Qo&iflsig=AL9hbdgAAAAAZ409CvCQ-PSlxHcrsUNCkPh9By15RGli&ved=0ahUKEwj3lcnQoIKLAxXanokEHbILPK8Q4dUDCBk&uact=5&oq=%22washington+trust+foundation%22&gs_lp=Egdnd3Mtd2l6Ih0id2FzaGluZ3RvbiB0cnVzdCBmb3VuZGF0aW9uIjIGEAAYFhgeMgYQABgWGB4yBhAAGBYYHjIIEAAYgAQYogQyCBAAGIAEGKIEMggQABiABBiiBEihIlAAWKwgcAJ4AJABAJgB2gGgAYceqgEGOC4yMi4xuAEDyAEA-AEBmAIgoAKcHsICChAjGIAEGCcYigXCAgsQABiABBixAxiDAcICBRAuGIAEwgIOEC4YgAQYsQMY0QMYxwHCAg4QLhiABBixAxiDARiKBcICBRAAGIAEwgILEAAYgAQYkQIYigXCAgoQABiABBhDGIoFwgINEC4YgAQYQxjUAhiKBcICDxAjGIAEGCcYigUYRhj7AcICCxAuGIAEGLEDGIMBwgIOEAAYgAQYsQMYgwEYigXCAhAQLhiABBixAxiDARgUGIcCwgIKEC4YgAQYQxiKBcICEBAuGIAEGLEDGEMYgwEYigXCAhAQABiABBixAxhDGIMBGIoFwgIQEAAYgAQYsQMYgwEYFBiHAsICExAuGIAEGLEDGNEDGBQYhwIYxwHCAgsQLhiABBjHARivAcICChAAGIAEGBQYhwLCAgUQABjvBcICCBAAGKIEGIkFwgIOEC4YgAQYxwEYjgUYrwGYAwCSBwY5LjIyLjGgB4LcAg&sclient=gws-wiz.
8. “CAIR Foundation Inc Form 990.” ProPublica. Accessed January 19, 2025. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/770646756/202443179349308899/full.
9. “CAIR Foundation Inc Form 990.” CAIR. Accessed January 19, 2025. https://www.cair.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/2022-CAIR-990-Public-Copy.pdf.
10. “CAIR Foundation Inc Form 990.” ProPublica. Accessed January 19, 2025.  https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/770646756/202203189349302510/full,
11. “Ihsan Bagby (Emeritus).” University of Kentucky. Accessed January 19, 2025. https://mcl.as.uky.edu/users/iabagb2.
12. “Retiring CAIR Board Member Dr. Ihsan Bagby Honored.” CAIR. March 18, 2023. Accessed January 19, 2025. https://www.cair.com/press_releases/retiring-cair-board-member-dr-ihsan-bagby-honored/.
13. “2017 Annual Report.” Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center. Accessed January 19, 2025. https://hijrah.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/2017-Report.pdf.
14. “CAIR Chief Among American Islamists Eulogizing Brotherhood Leader.” The Investigative Project on Terrorism. September 27, 2017. Accessed January 19, 2025. https://www.investigativeproject.org/6710/cair-chief-among-american-islamists-eulogizing.
15. “The Omeish Family Hates Israel. And Tim Kaine Loves the Omeish Family.” The Washington Free Beacon. November 8, 2023. Accessed January 19, 2025. https://freebeacon.com/democrats/the-omeish-family-hates-israel-and-tim-kaine-loves-the-omeish-family/.
16. “Virginia House of Delegates elections, 2009.” Ballotpedia. Accessed January 19, 2025. https://ballotpedia.org/Virginia_House_of_Delegates_elections,_2009.
17. Osborne, James. “Clinton Invites Controversial Muslim Leader on Conference Call.” Fox News. June 8, 2009. Accessed January 19, 2025. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/clinton-invites-controversial-muslim-leader-on-conference-call/.