In early 2007, "The New York Times" wrote that "more than one government official described the standards used by critics to link CAIR to terrorism as akin to McCarthyism, essentially guilt by association." At that time (prior to the Holy Land trial), the "Times" called efforts to link the organization to Hamas and Hezbollah "unsuccessful", citing a retired FBI official who was active through 2005 and who suggested that while "of all the groups, there is probably more suspicion about CAIR", you don't get "cold hard facts". The "Times" and "The Washington Post" also noted that even though a handful of its former members had faced prosecution, CAIR has never faced criminal charges.