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Dark Side of Rev. Moon

The Original 'Dark Side of Rev. Moon' Series

Dark Side of Rev. Moon: Hooking Bush
Despite his virulent anti-Americanism, Rev. Sun Myung Moon still relies on friends in Washington to help him expand his political-and-media power base. Moon's latest reach into South America had the helping hand of former U.S. President George Bush. But the Moon-Bush alliance dates back years and could reach into the future, as Bush lines up conservative backing for the expected White House bid of his eldest son. (7/28/97)

One Mother's Tale: Rev. Moon & a College Freshman
Rev. Moon may devote much energy wooing power-brokers, but his theocratic movement continues to waylay unsuspecting young people -- and wreak havoc on their families. (7-28-97)

Dark Side of Rev. Moon: Buying the Right
Rev. Sun Myung Moon calls America "Satan's harvest" and vows to subjugate its people under a Korea-based theocracy. Normally, this anti-Americanism would not sit well. But Moon has spread around billions of dollars from mysterious sources to Washington conservatives. The money has helped key allies, such as Jerry Falwell and Oliver North. It's the real Asian money scandal -- and the Washington media is missing it. (8/11/97)

Dark Side of Rev. Moon: Legend & Lies
Rev. Sun Myung Moon's Washington Times is demanding that other media play up hearings on how Asians bought influence with Democrats. In its outraged stance, the Times calls itself "America's Newspaper." But it conceals its own role as a secret purveyor of Asian money and its control by the Korean-based Unification Church. Left off the masthead are its publisher, Dong Moon Joo, and its founder, Moon himself. (8/25/97)

Dark Side of Rev. Moon: Generation Next
In 1982, Rev. Sun Myung Moon went to jail for tax fraud. Yet, new testimony suggests that Moon's organization did not change its ways. Questionable practices continue, with church money supporting a decadent lifestyle for Moon's family and with bags of cash arriving from overseas for laundering through church-connected firms, such as the Manhattan Center. (9/8/97)

Dark Side of Rev. Moon: Drug Allies
Washington is obsessed with interpretations of arcane fund-raising laws. But a more serious question -- the political influence-buying of Rev. Sun Myung Moon -- remains unasked. The issue is particularly important because of Moon's free-spending ways and his past alliances with anti-communist crime figures connected to the Japanese yakuza of Ryoichi Sasakawa and the U.S. drug mob of Santo Trafficante Jr. (10/13/97)

Dark Side of Rev. Moon: Moon's Billions & Washington's Blind Eye
Newly released Justice Department files show how the Reagan-Bush administrations cited the Constitution to protect Rev. Sun Myung Moon from investigation as a foreign agent -- while using his organization to spy on American critics of Reagan policies. Moon apparently earned his political protection the old-fashioned way: he bought it with lots of money. (12/22/97)

More Recent Stories on Moon's Political Empire

Rev. Moon's Paper Going Down
Journalists Robert Parry and John Gorenfeld discuss the curious history of Sun Myung Moon's Washington Times with Peter B. Collins. May 7, 2010

How Rev. Moon's 'Snakes' Infested US
As Rev. Sun Myung Moon's Washington Times sinks, snakes are coming out of the woodwork (really), writes Robert Parry. May 1, 2010

WTimes, Bushes Hail Rev. Moon
The Bush Family joined in a Washington Times celebration of South Korean theocrat Sun Myung Moon, reports Robert Parry. October 2, 2009

The Right's America-Hating Preacher
America's Right is having a field day blasting Barack Obama's ex-pastor Jeremiah Wright as anti-American. But many of the same conservatives look the other way when their benefactor, the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, denounces the United States. A Special Report. May 2, 2008

Jerry Falwell's Deal with the Devil
American leaders across the political spectrum are eulogizing the late Rev. Jerry Falwell, albeit with some criticism of his tendency to lash out at his adversaries. But lost in this desire not to speak ill of the dead is the troubling story of Falwell's secret financial dealings with South Korean cult leader Sun Myung Moon and how Moon's mysterious money bailed out Falwell's Liberty University. May 16, 2007

Moon/Bush 'Ongoing Crime Enterprise'
Rev. Sun Myung Moon and his business/political/media/religious organization have avoided prosecution for a shark poaching scam despite evidence of Moon's direct involvement. February 17, 2007

The GOP's $3 Billion Propaganda Organ
When history tries to make sense of what happened to American politics in this era, it should take into account the extraordinary story of how a right-wing Korean cult leader, Sun Myung Moon, bought influence with the U.S. political class by pouring billions of dollars into conservative causes, including a daily newspaper, the Washington Times. A Special Report. December 27, 2006

The Moon-Bush Cash Conduit
South Korean theocrat Sun Myung Moon has long boasted of his ability to "hook" politicians by putting money into their pockets and into their political machines. But Moon's most important catch may have come from the millions of dollars sunk into the powerful Bush family -- and the subsequent lack of U.S. interest in evidence of Moon's criminal activities. June 14, 2006

Kerry Attacker Protected Rev. Moon
The producer of an anti-John Kerry video, which will be aired on stations across the United States before the Nov. 2 election, also attacked federal investigators who were cracking down on Rev. Sun Myung Moon's mysterious money flows in the 1980s. A book by Carlton Sherwood helped silence Moon's critics and enabled the South Korean theocrat to continue funneling hundreds of millions of dollars into the U.S. political process. October 15, 2004

Mysterious Republican Money
House Speaker Dennis Hastert implied, without evidence, that liberal funder George Soros funnels drug money into the U.S. political process. But Republican administrations have looked the other way when facing evidence that conservative benefactor  Sun Myung Moon has ties to overseas drug lords and has engaged in a long-running conspiracy to launder money. September 7, 2004

The Bush-Kim-Moon Triangle of Money
At odds over North Korea, George W. Bush and South Korean President Kim Dae Jung have one thing in common: behind the scenes, both have benefited from Rev. Sun Myung Moon's largesse. March 10, 2001

Rev. Moon, the Bushes & Donald Rumsfeld
Defense Secretary-designate Donald Rumsfeld criticizes President Clinton for not blocking North Korea's missile program, but Rev. Sun Myung Moon -- a Bush family benefactor -- allegedly was giving the communist leaders hard currency they needed. By Robert Parry. January 3, 2001.

Rev. Moon, North Korea & the Bushes
New documents reveal that U.S. intelligence tracked secret payments from Rev. Sun Myung Moon to North Korean leaders, a development that could embarrass the Bush family. By Robert Parry. October 11, 2000

Rev. Moon’s Bank Scam
The right-wing theocrat ‘craters’ a bank. November 6, 1998

Sidebar: Moon has bank troubles in Uruguay
October 1, 1998

Rev. Moon’s Dark Shadow
Rev. Sun Myung Moon’s ex-daughter-in-law, Nansook Hong, has given first-person evidence of the Unification Church’s practice of violating U.S. currency laws. In a new book, she exposes Moon’s money-laundering and reveals the hypocrisy at the core of this right-wing powerhouse. October 1, 1998

Rev. Moon's Uruguayan Money-Laundry
Rev. Sun Myung Moon, a major right-wing benefactor, is facing allegations in Uruguay that his bank is a money-laundering center, accepting major deposits of smuggled cash. Moon's Washington Times was President Reagan's favorite paper. August 19, 1998

Rev. Moon & His 'Green Card'
Newly released federal documents reveal that Rev. Sun Myung Moon, a principal funder of the conservative movement, gained U.S. residency status 25 years ago, under President Nixon.

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