Nasser Beydoun is running in the Democratic primary for the seat currently held by Senator Debbie Stabenow from Michigan, who is retiring.
Earlier this month, Nasser Beydoun claimed a businessman offered him $20 million to drop out of that race and challenge Representative Rashida Tlaib instead.
“I understood how corrupt the political process is, but I never realized how corrupt it was till that meeting,” said Beydoun.
Beydoun declined the offer.
“I called Rashida and let her know what was going on, and you know, I didn’t think much of it,” Beydoun said. “But when the story about Hill (Harper) came out, then I said wait a minute, this is, you know, it’s not a one-time deal,” Beydoun said.
That alleged call with Hill Harper involved a different donor last month. It became public last week.
“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.”
The Campaign Legal Center, a nonpartisan organization aimed at advocating for voters to participate in the democratic process, raised concerns about the alleged offers.
“It is illegal for a candidate to coordinate with an independent spending group like a super PAC,” CLC’s Director for Federal Reform Saurav Ghosh said in a statement. “It is also illegal for a candidate to solicit money beyond federal limits and prohibitions. Therefore, it would be illegal for a wealthy donor and a candidate (or person planning to run for office) to essentially coordinate and line up $20 million in financing to support that campaign. Such an agreement would raise serious corruption concerns, leading to questions about whether the candidate is prioritizing the needs of their constituents or simply the needs of their large donor.”
Ghosh continued:
“Now, if the $20M is actually all bundled contributions from a wide group of donors adhering to legal contribution limits, that’s a different story. That’s legal and happens all the time. There’s a big difference between ‘I’ll give you $20M and ‘I’ll fundraise for you until my friends and I raise $20M.’”
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, denied involvement in any of these alleged offers.
Tlaib, the only Palestinian-American member of Congress, has faced criticism for her remarks on the Israel-Hamas war.
This month, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to censure her.
Beydoun said he was surprised that he would be recruited to challenge Tlaib, considering his stance on the Palestinian cause.
“I even told them that my views are very similar to Rashida’s, so how do I help,” Beydoun said. “And he said that they don’t care. They understand you’re pro-Palestinian, but they just want Rashida out,” he said.
The two businessmen involved in the alleged offers couldn’t be reached by Local 4 for comment.
Local 4 also requested comment from Tlaib’s campaign but hasn’t heard back yet.