SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
aipac
New Reporting on Campaign Giving in Illinois Exposes Increasingly 'Sophisticated Methods' of AIPAC
The "impressively coordinated" AIPAC operation features individual donations given "on the same day, by the same donors, for the same amounts" for pro-Israel candidates, according to Drop Site News.
Feb 06, 2026
The largest pro-Israel lobbying organization in the US has become increasingly toxic among Democratic voters, and a Friday report from Drop Site News revealed how the organization has gone to great lengths to conceal its support for candidates in the party's primaries.
Drop Site examined campaign donations in competitive Democratic primaries in Illinois and found that the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) "is resorting to ever more sophisticated methods to support its preferred candidates while cloaking its own involvement."
According to Drop Site, AIPAC appears to have pioneered its concealment tactics during a 2024 Democratic primary in Oregon, when it funded super political action committees (PACs) that dumped money into the race to benefit Rep. Maxine Dexter (D-Ore.), who was challenging Susheela Jayapal, the sister of Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.).
"The main super PAC in question (named 314 Action) explicitly denied that any funding came from AIPAC—a claim revealed as a flagrant lie once disclosure records finally became public," the report noted. "But by then, Dexter had triumphed and was on her way to Congress."
The same tactics are being used in Illinois, Drop Site continued, where AIPAC has been quietly spending to benefit the campaigns of Democratic candidates Laura Fine, Donna Miller, and Melissa Bean, who are all facing off against progressive challengers who have been critical of Israel.
What is notable about the Illinois operation is that many past donors to AIPAC and its major affiliated super PAC United Democracy Project (UDP) have been lining up to give individual contributions to the Fine, Miller, and Bean campaigns.
"A whopping 237 former AIPAC/UDP donors have given to both Miller and Bean, contributing $396,288.01 to Bean and $429,083.00 to Miller," the report found. "Forty-four of these donors have given to all three candidates, sending a total of $208,753.33 to them. Several of the donations were given to the candidates on the same day, by the same donors, for the same amounts."
Like in Oregon, the three campaigns have also been propped up by AIPAC-funded super PACs that have been taking out ads that do not mention Israel and instead focus on generic biographical information on the candidates.
Of course, these operations, which Drop Site describes as "impressively coordinated," do not guarantee victory.
AIPAC's UDP super PAC recently spent heavily in a New Jersey Democratic primary that concluded on Thursday to take down former Rep. Tom Malinowski, who earned the group's displeasure when he came out in support of putting conditions on US aid to Israel.
But as Forward reported Friday, the campaign proved ineffective against Malinowski, who at the moment is in a dead heat with Analilia Mejia, a progressive candidate who has been even more critical of Israel.
"Whether or not Malinowski ultimately wins, AIPAC will have failed to achieve its goal of electing a Democrat in the primary who it views as being more supportive of Israel," wrote Forward, "either Essex County Commissioner Brendan Gill or former Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way. And if Mejia wins, AIPAC will have helped elect a progressive who is less supportive of Israel."
Keep ReadingShow Less
Progressive Analilia Mejia Declares 'People-Powered Victory' in New Jersey as AIPAC Spending Backfires
"It is time for us to focus on what really matters: unrigging this economy, making sure we reclaim our democracy—and it starts right now," Mejia said as the race officially remained too close to call.
Feb 06, 2026
This is a developing story... Please check back for updates...
Progressive organizer Analilia Mejia emerged late Thursday as the leader of a crowded Democratic primary race for a vacant US House seat representing New Jersey's 11th Congressional District, potentially notching a stunning upset in a contest that saw outside groups—including one linked to AIPAC—spend millions.
The bulk of that money came from the United Democracy Project (UDP), a billionaire-funded pro-Israel group that spent big to defeat former Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-NJ) in favor of its preferred candidate, Tahesha Way. The investment appears to have backfired in embarrassing fashion: Way is currently sitting in a distant third place, while UDP's attacks on Malinowski—regarded as a pro-Israel Democrat during his time in Congress—appear to have harmed him enough to propel Mejia, who has called Israel's assault on Gaza a genocide.
While the primary race is officially too close to call, some analysts said they expect Mejia to win after the remaining ballots are counted. As of this writing, Mejia—whose campaign was backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), and other prominent progressives—is holding to a 486-vote lead.
"New Jersey, I am so excited to say that we have delivered people-powered victory," Mejia, a supporter of Medicare for All and other progressive policy ambitions, said in a video posted to social media shortly after midnight. "It is time for us to focus on what really matters: unrigging this economy, making sure we reclaim our democracy—and it starts right now."
My message to New Jersey voters. pic.twitter.com/8u8EBy02f7
— Analilia Mejia for NJ (@AnaliliaForNJ) February 6, 2026
The New Jersey Working Families Party, which endorsed and supported Mejia, said in a statement that "while every vote must still be counted, Analilia Mejia’s performance is historic."
"Analilia shocked the New Jersey political establishment and did what so many people said she couldn’t,” said Antoinette Miles, the organization's state director. “Voters are hungry for working-class leaders, and tonight they showed it.”
Prominent outlets, including Decision Desk HQ, were forced to retract their earlier projections of a Malinowski win after the progressive candidate took the lead. Mejia rubbed it in by posting to X the famous photo of Harry Truman holding up a copy of the Chicago Daily Tribune that featured the erroneous banner headline, "Dewey Defeats Truman."
The winner of the 11th Congressional District primary and April 16 general election will fill the remainder of New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill's congressional term, which expires in January 2027.
Progressives who backed Mejia's campaign attributed her late surge to persistent organizing and a last-ditch advertising push. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) noted that while Mejia "was outspent by millions," strategic spending by progressive PACs helped boost her campaign in the final days of the primary.
"When there’s a real organizer running, we don’t need to match $ for $—we just need to be in the ring," Jayapal wrote on social media late Thursday.
Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said in a statement early Friday that "over and over, voters are sending Democrats a message: We need fighters who will go to the mat for working people."
"We've welcomed Adelita Grijalva and Christian Menefee to Congress in recent months," said Casar. "Now, Analilia Mejia is showing us the way."
Observers also marveled at AIPAC's blundering intervention in the race. UDP's ads against Malinowski did not mention Israel; rather, one of the spots condemned the former congressman for voting in 2019 to fund President Donald Trump's "deportation force," possibly pushing voters toward the candidate who has called for the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
"ICE is not reformable nor fixable, and New Jerseyans know this," Mejia said last month. "We need members of Congress who are willing to stand up to authoritarianism and terror. The same old blue just won’t cut it."
This story has been updated to include a statement from Rep. Greg Casar.
Keep ReadingShow Less
Meet Paul Singer, the Billionaire Trump Megadonor Set to Make a Killing on Venezuela Oil
"Paul Singer's shady purchase of Citgo has everything to do with this coup."
Jan 05, 2026
One of President Donald Trump's top billionaire donors, who has spent the past several months backing a push for regime change in Venezuela, is about to cash in after the president's kidnapping of the nation's president, Nicolas Maduro, this weekend.
While he declined to tell members of Congress, Trump has said he tipped off oil executives before the illegal attack. At a press conference following the attack, he said the US would have "our very large United States oil companies" go into Venezuela, which he said the US will "run" indefinitely, and "start making money" for the United States.
As Judd Legum reported on Monday for Popular Information, among the biggest beneficiaries will be the billionaire investor Paul Singer:
In 2024, Singer, an 81-year-old with a net worth of $6.7 billion, donated $5 million to Make America Great Again Inc., Trump’s Super PAC. Singer donated tens of millions more in the 2024 cycle to support Trump’s allies, including $37 million to support the election of Republicans to Congress. He also donated an undisclosed amount to fund Trump’s second transition.
Singer is also a major pro-Israel donor, with his foundation having donated more than $3.3 million to groups like the Birthright Israel Foundation, the Israel America Academic Exchange, Boundless Israel, and others in 2021, according to tax filings.
In November 2025, less than two months before Trump's operation to take over Venezuela, Singer's investment firm, Elliott Investment Management, inked a highly fortuitous deal.
It purchased Citgo, the US-based subsidiary of Venezuela's state-owned oil company, for $5.9 billion—a sale that was forced by a Delaware court after Venezuela defaulted on its bond payments.
The court-appointed special master who forced the sale, Robert Pincus, is a member of the board of directors for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).
Elliott Management hailed the court order requiring the sale in a press release, saying it was "backed by a group of strategic US energy investors."
Singer acquired the Citgo's three massive coastal refineries, 43 oil terminals, and more than 4,000 gas stations at a "major discount" because of its distressed status. Advisers to the court overseeing the sale estimated its value at $11-13 billion, while the Venezuelan government estimated it at $18 billion.
As Legum explained, the Trump administration's embargo on Venezuelan oil imports to the United States bore the primary responsibility for the company's plummeting value:
Citgo’s refiners are purpose-built to process heavy-grade Venezuelan “sour” crude. As a result, Citgo was forced to source oil from more expensive sources in Canada and Colombia. (Oil produced in the United States is generally light-grade.) This made Citgo’s operations far less profitable.
It is the preferred modus operandi for Singer, whose hedge fund is often described as a "vulture" capital group. As Francesca Fiorentini, a commentator at Zeteo, explained, Singer "is famous for doing things like buying the debt of struggling countries like Argentina for pennies on the dollar and then forcing that country to repay him with interest plus legal fees."
Venezuelan Vice President and Minister of Petroleum Delcy Rodríguez called the sale of Citgo to Singer "fraudulent" and "forced" in December.
After the US abducted Maduro this week, Trump named Rodriguez as Venezuela's interim president—and she was formally sworn in Monday—but he warned that she'll pay a "very big price" if she refuses to do "what we want."
That is good news for Singer, who is expected to be one of the biggest beneficiaries of an oil industry controlled by US corporations, which will likely not be subject to crippling sanctions.
Singer has reportedly met with Trump directly at least four times since he was first elected in 2016, most recently in 2024. While it is unknown whether the two discussed Venezuela during those meetings, groups funded by Singer have pushed aggressively for Trump to take maximal action to decapitate the country's leadership.
Since 2011, Singer has donated over $10 million and continues to sit on the board of directors for the right-wing Manhattan Institute think tank, which in recent months has consistently advocated for Maduro to be removed from power. In October, it published an article praising Trump for his "consistent policies against Venezuela’s Maduro."
He has also been a major donor to the neoconservative think tank Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), serving as its second-largest contributor from 2008-2011, with more than $3.6 million.
In late November, shortly before Trump announced that the US had closed Venezuelan airspace and began to impound Venezuelan oil tankers, FDD published a policy brief stating that the US has "capabilities to launch an overwhelming air and missile campaign against the Maduro regime" that it could use to remove him from power.
Singer himself has acted as a financial attack dog for Trump during his first year back in office. In June, he contributed $1 million to fund a super PAC aiming to oust Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), who'd become Trump's leading Republican critic over his Department of Justice's refusal to release its files pertaining to the billionaire sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
A super PAC tied to Miriam Adelson, another top pro-Israel donor who recently said she'd give Trump $250 million if he ran for a third term, also reportedly helped to fund the campaign against Massie.
Massie has since gone on to be one of the most vocal opponents in Congress to Trump's regime change push in Venezuela, joining Democrats to co-sponsor multiple failed war powers resolutions that would have reined in the president's ability to launch military strikes against alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and launch an attack on mainland Venezuela.
As the Trump administration has asserted that American corporations are entitled to the oil controlled by Venezuela's state firm, Massie rebutted this weekend that: "It’s not American oil. It’s Venezuelan oil."
"Oil companies entered into risky deals to develop oil, and the deals were canceled by a prior Venezuelan government," he said. "What’s happening: Lives of US soldiers are being risked to make those oil companies (not Americans) more profitable."
Massie said that Singer, "who’s already spent $1,000,000 to defeat me in the next election, stands to make billions of dollars on his distressed Citgo investment, now that this administration has taken over Venezuela."
Fiorentini added that "Paul Singer's shady purchase of Citgo has everything to do with this coup."
Keep ReadingShow Less
Most Popular