Photo: Junfu Han ~ USA TODAY NETWORK
MICHIGAN, Nov. 28, 2023 ~ Actor Hill Harper and Dearborn businessman Nasser Beydoun, Democrat candidates for Michigan‘s open U.S. Senate seat, alleged that they each received $20 million offers to drop their senate campaigns to primary Democrat Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (MI-12).
The senate candidates allegedly turned down campaign money that would have come from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a political group that lobbies for the interests of the Israeli government in Congress and donates to politicians’ campaigns from both major parties. Tlaib, the only Palestinian American in Congress, has long directed sharp criticism towards Israel‘s “apartheid regime” against Palestinians and its recent bombing campaign on the Gaza Strip, though she has been met with backlash and was even censured over her remarks on Israel.
After Politico reported last week that Harper declined an offer from Michigan businessman Linden Nelson, the candidate posted on X, formerly Twitter, claiming that one of “AIPAC’s top donors” tried to get him to run against Tlaib. He wrote in another post that he would not, “run against the only Palestinian-American in Congress just because some special interests don’t like her.” Nelson, who did not respond to media inquiries, does have a history of financially contributing to AIPAC and political candidates opposed to Tlaib, though AIPAC spokesperson Marshall Wittmann told multiple news outlets that the group was “not involved in any way in this matter” and that Nelson had not donated to the PAC “in over a decade.”
SOCIAL MEDIA:
I didn’t intend for a private phone call to turn public. But now that it has, here’s the truth.
One of AIPAC’s biggest donors offered $20m if I dropped out of the U.S. Senate race to run against @RashidaTlaib.
I said no. I won’t be bossed, bullied, or bought. https://t.co/Ji76jwPE3X
— Hill Harper (@hillharper) November 22, 2023
For me, this isn’t about one person or one phone call. It’s about a broken political and campaign finance system that’s tilted towards the wealthy and powerful.
I’m running for the U.S. Senate because I believe the wealthy and powerful have too much representation in…— Hill Harper (@hillharper) November 22, 2023
PODCASTS:
Nov. 29, 2023 ~ Nasser Beydoun, a Democrat senate candidate, Dearborn businessman, and community activist, is the second senate candidate claiming they were offered $20 million to run against Democrat Rep. Rashida Tlaib (MI-12) in her district’s primary.
Nov. 27, 2023 ~ U.S. Congressman Dan Kildee (MI-8) talks to Kevin Dietz and Tom Jordan about why he will not run for re-election, and discusses the Israel hostage situation.
(CONTINUED) Beydoun posted a video to X on Monday, in which he claims his offer came from former Michigan Democratic Party Chair Lon Johnson during a Nov. 10 meeting. Both Johnson and AIPAC have denied any involvement in the offer.
AIPAC is a controversial entity among Democrat circles, with progressive lawmakers and activists claiming the group spends millions of dollars to outpace any critics of Israel in Democrat primaries. Shortly after Hamas‘ attack on Oct. 7 in Israel, media outlets reported that the PAC was set to spend $100 million to primary members of the progressive “Squad” wing of the House Democrats. In late October, St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell announced that he was dropping his Senate bid to oust Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) to run against Squad member and vocal Israel critic Cori Bush (MO-1), a similar move to what Harper and Beydoun said they were offered in Michigan.
SOCIAL MEDIA:
I was offered $20 million to withdraw from the senatorial race and to run against my friend @rashidatlaib. Even knowing where I stand on AIPAC’s influence on our elections and foreign policy, the pro-Israel lobby had the nerve to suggest that I would even consider taking a dime… pic.twitter.com/QTvFhbExj9
— Nasser for Michigan (@NasserforMich) November 27, 2023
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