President Baraka Obama took the opportunity over the Memorial Day weekend to appoint a new outreach liaison for Muslim-Americans to the White House Office of Public Engagement.

Zaki Barzinji, a staffer for Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, is the former president of the Muslim Youth of North America (MYNA) and served as a board member of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA). Both are organizations of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood, as identified by evidence submitted by the federal government in the Holy Land Foundation Trial.

Zaki Barzinji’s father, Suhaib Jamal Barzinji was a founding member of MYNA. Suhaib Barzinji is the son of the late Jamal Barzinji, who played a seminal role in the founding of numerous Muslim Brotherhood organizations in the United States, including the Muslim Students Association (MSA), The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), the North American Islamic Trust (NAIT), and the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT).

Barzinji also played a leading role in the World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY), a Saudi quasi-governmental organization whose Northern Virginia chapter was raided by law enforcement after 9/11 for terrorism finance. Barzinji was also a leading member of the American Muslim Council, founded by convicted Al Qaeda fundraiser Adurrahman Alamoudi.

Jamal Barzinji was himself subject of a search warrant in October of 2003, related to his founding or leading multiple groups which were part of an interlinked network of non-profit and for profit organizations suspected of providing material support for Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Al Qaeda. No charges were ever filed however, after allies of Barzinji met privately with then Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neil.

Prior to the searches, Jamal Barzinji had a long history of political fundraising, raising tens of thousands of dollars for U.S. congressional candidates, and contributing $1000 to President Baraka Obama’s campaign in 2008. While many politicians returned the contributions following revelations of Barzinji’s associations, the Obama campaign did not.

Zaki Barzinji’s involvement in Islamic politics in the United States from an early age is unsurprising given his familial connections. Barzinji has been a frequent source for journalists and served as a team leader for the Obama campaign’s “Muslims for Obama” effort.

The appointment of Zaki Barzinji once again demonstrates the Obama Administration’s insistence on relying almost exclusively on individuals affiliated with the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood network when dealing with the Muslim-American community.

The appointment is also a reflection of the importance played of family relationships within Brotherhood organizations. Given that Zaki Barzinji is the third generation of Barzinji to play a leading role in Muslim Brotherhood organizations in the United States and one can see the great success the Brotherhood has had in training and preparing its younger generations to participate and excel within American politics in order further their own aspirations.