Democratic organizer fired after alleging illegal foreign donations to El-Sayed campaign

A Democratic organizer identified as Abdoul Beckwith was fired after alleging that Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed is receiving campaign contributions from overseas donors. Beckwith made the statements to an undercover reporter from the O'Keefe Media Group who was secretly filming the conversation, the New York Post reported. [1]

Under federal law, foreign nationals are strictly prohibited from making direct or indirect political contributions to candidates in local, state, or federal elections. During the filmed exchange, the undercover reporter noted that overseas donations would violate federal campaign finance laws, according to the New York Post. [1]

The allegation comes as El-Sayed faces Republican former congressman Mike Rogers in the 2026 election for the United States Senate in Michigan. Democratic incumbent Gary Peters is not seeking a third term in the seat. [11][12]

The candidates recently faced off in their final debate of the race, clashing over party loyalties, CBS News, CNN, NBC News, and The Hill reported. As FTMQ News reported earlier, recent polling has shown a tight contest between El-Sayed and Rogers. [2][4][5][6][16]