‘Not isolated incidents’: Criminal referrals filed over Mamdani’s campaign cash
‘Was on notice for months that it was accepting illegal foreign contributions, and yet did nothing meaningful to stop it’
Zohran Mamdani, making headlines as he leads candidates to be New York City’s next mayor, daily is embroiled in controversy.
For issues such as his communist ideologies. He claims they’re “democratic socialist,” but he insists on supporting the “seizure of the means of production,” the abolition of private property and centralization of the means of communication and transport in “the hands of the state.”
And his own mother’s description of him as “not an American at all.”
And taking money from foreign supporters, which is illegal, and has now generated two criminal referrals against him.
A report at the Independent Sentinel said the Coolidge Reagan Foundation, a campaign finance watchdog, filed the referrals claiming Mamdani got illegal cash from foreigners.
The report said the campaign claimed those issues were resolved.
But still there remain questions about some $13,000 he got from 170 donors “from outside the U.S.,” the report said.
“These are not isolated incidents or clerical errors,” charged Dan Backer, of the foundation.
He told Fox News Digital, “This was a sustained pattern of foreign money flowing into a New York City mayoral race which is a clear violation of both federal law and New York City campaign finance rules. Mamdani’s campaign was on notice for months that it was accepting illegal foreign contributions, and yet it did nothing meaningful to stop it.”
Mamdani’s campaign claimed 31 donors have “proven” their citizenship while the other 139 have had donations refunded.
The accusations charge that the campaign may have violated the Federal Election Campaign Act, under which foreigners are not allowed to support with their cash U.S. election candidates.
Backer said, “The law is crystal clear that foreign nationals may not participate in American elections, and that includes making contributions. Yet Mamdani’s campaign repeatedly accepted donations from individuals abroad.”
A Fox News report said the donations totaling about $13,000 from outsiders had been confirmed through a review of finance reports just days ago.
CRF sent the criminal referrals to Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Criminal Division and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg this week.
The referral seeks an investigation into possible violations of federal law.
When the campaign insisted it was returning illegal donations, the foundation charged that “returning questionable donations doesn’t cure the violation.”
