(CNSNews.com) – Both William Ayers and his brother, John Ayers, ran organizations that received grants from the Chicago Annenberg Challenge run by Barack Obama, and both also contributed to at least one of Obama’s political campaigns.
William Ayers is a one-time leader of the Weather Underground domestic terrorist group that in the 1970s took credit for bombing the Pentagon and the U.S. Capitol. “I don’t regret setting bombs,” Ayers told the New York Times in 2001 about his experience with the Weathermen. “I feel we didn’t do enough.”
In 1995, Obama, then a Chicago lawyer, received an early boost in his initial bid for the Illinois State Senate, when he went to a political meeting at Ayers’ home.
From 1995 through 2001, Obama was chairman of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge (CAC), a foundation that gave away $49.2 million to promote improvement in Chicago’s public school. At the same time, Ayers served as chairman of the Chicago Schools Collaborative, an arm of the CAC that set its education policy.
From 1992 through 2002, Ayers was also the co-director of a group called the Small Schools Workshop, which promoted public schools that advanced themes such as peace studies, multiculturalism and environmentalism.
From 1998-2002, the CAC gave the Small Schools Workshop at least $800,000 in grants, according to publicly available IRS 990 forms filed by the CAC.
In 2001, according to the records of the Illinois State Board of Elections, Ayers made a $200 contribution to Obama’s state senate campaign.
Ayers’ brother, John, has made a total of $2,445 in contributions to Obama’s U.S. Senate campaign and presidential campaign.
On May 5, 2003, John Ayers contributed $250 to the Senate race. On May 14, 2003, he contributed $1,000 to the Senate campaign. On January 24, 2004, he gave $200 to the Senate race. On Feb. 24, 2004, he gave $200 to the Senate race. On March 2, 2004, he contributed $250 to the Senate race. On Dec. 20, 2007, he gave $245 to the presidential race. On July 31, 2008, he contributed $300 to the presidential campaign.
John Ayers served for 10 years as executive director of Leadership for Quality Education, a Chicago group that promotes charter schools and small public schools. In 1998, when John Ayers was there, the Obama-led CAC gave Leadership for Quality Education an $85,000 grant.
William Ayers’ $200 donation to Obama’s state senate campaign in 2001 is the only campaign contribution he made to Obama.
Neither John Ayers nor William Ayers could be reached for comment on this story despite numerous phone messages and e-mails sent to them by CNSNews.com.
John Ayers is no longer with the Leadership for Quality Education. He is now with the National Association of Charter School Authorities.
The Ayers brothers are the sons of Thomas Ayers, who served as chairman and CEO of Commonwealth Edison in the 1970s. The elder Ayers died on June 8, 2007 at age 92 from congestive heart failure.