Pro-Trump lawyer Dan Becker, who heads a two-person organization called the Coolidge Reagan Foundation, is trying to have criminal charges pressed against New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani.
The Coolidge Foundation also filed a similar unsuccessful claim against Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX).
Becker — whose Coolidge Reagan Foundation is funded by the Koch Brothers — sent 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 because Mamdani received contributions from outside the U.S., which were not sent with the explicit consent of Mamdani, reports Fox News:
..The Mamdani campaign said that “31 of the 170 donors have proven their citizenship or legal permanent residence and have been deemed permissible by the Campaign Finance Board, and the remaining 139 have had their donations refunded.”
…While foreign nationals are not permitted to donate to American political candidates under campaign finance law, U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents living abroad can legally contribute to U.S. campaigns, which means that not all of Mamdani’s donations from addresses outside the U.S. are necessarily from foreign nationals, a state campaign finance official indicated.
“All U.S. citizens and permanent residents, including those who live outside the U.S., are legally permitted to donate to New York City mayoral campaigns under federal campaign finance law and New York State and City law,” Mamdani campaign spokesperson Dora Pekec told Fox News Digital when reached for comment.
“The Campaign has a rigorous compliance process in place to ensure compliance with these laws, including a protocol to confirm whether donors with foreign addresses are U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents. The Campaign will promptly issue refunds for any donations that are found to be impermissible,” Pekec added.
(Sources: New York Magazine, Pro-Publica, Fox News, Sourcewatch, Washington Examiner, Image: MSNBC)