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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."
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Illinois, Minnesota Sue Over Trump Immigration Agents Who 'Have Acted as Occupiers'
"The unlawful deployment of thousands of armed, masked, and poorly trained federal agents is hurting Minnesota," said that state's attorney general.
Jan 12, 2026
Illinois and Minnesota, along with targeted cities in both states, filed a pair of federal lawsuits on Monday in hopes of ending deadly operations by President Donald Trump administration's intended to hunt down and deport immigrants.
Trump has sent thousands of US Department of Homeland Security agents—including from Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE)—to the Twin Cities in recent days for an operation that resulted in the death of Renee Good, a US citizen and mother fatally shot by a federal officer in Minneapolis.
Amid the mounting violence by federal agents in Minnesota and the Trump administration's related propaganda—which have fueled protests across the country—the state's Democratic attorney general, Keith Ellison, plus the cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, took aim at DHS, CBP, ICE, and various agency leaders in a US district court.
"Defendants claim this unprecedented surge of immigration agents is necessary to fight fraud," says the complaint, filed in the District of Minnesota. "In reality, the massive deployment of armed agents to Minnesota bears no connection to that stated objective and instead reflects an alarming escalation of the Trump administration's retaliatory actions towards the state."
In a Monday statement, Ellison stressed that "the unlawful deployment of thousands of armed, masked, and poorly trained federal agents is hurting Minnesota."
"People are being racially profiled, harassed, terrorized, and assaulted," he noted. "Schools have gone into lockdown. Businesses have been forced to close. Minnesota police are spending countless hours dealing with the chaos ICE is causing. This federal invasion of the Twin Cities has to stop, so today I am suing DHS to bring it to an end."
As footage of an ICE officer shooting Good began to circulate online last week, Democratic Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey publicly told the agency to "get the fuck out" of his city. On Monday, he added that "when federal actions undermine public safety, harm our neighbors, and violate constitutional rights, we have a responsibility to act. That's exactly what we’re doing today."
St Paul Mayor Kaohly Her: "I wasn't born here. I'm carrying my ID and passport card all the time because I don't know when I'm going to be detained, when I'm going to be approached."
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— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) January 12, 2026 at 5:10 PM
Trump's "Operation Metro Surge" in Minnesota this year followed the September launch of "Operation Midway Blitz" in Illinois, which targeted Chicago and its suburbs—where immigration agents have also shot multiple people in recent months, including one fatally.
"Border Patrol agents and ICE officers have acted as occupiers rather than officers of the law," Democratic Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul declared Monday. "They randomly, and often violently, question residents. Without warrants or probable cause, they brutally detain citizens and noncitizens alike."
"They use tear gas and other chemical weapons against bystanders, injuring dozens, including children, the elderly, and local police officers," he continued. "I filed this lawsuit to stand up for the safety of the people of Illinois and the sovereignty of our state."
The 103-page suit, filed in the Northern District of Illinois, followed another from the state and city of Chicago that blocked Trump's attempt to deploy the National Guard in the area, as he had done in Los Angeles, California and Washington, DC. At the end of last month, the president announced troops would leave Chicago, LA, and Portland, Oregon, but also said that "we will come back."
Democratic Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker—a frequent critic of the president—said Monday that "Illinois is once again taking Donald Trump to court to hold his administration accountable for their unlawful tactics, unnecessary escalations, and flagrant abuses of power."
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson emphasized that "these actions weren't just unlawful; they were cruel, needlessly inflicting fear and harm on our communities."
"My administration will forcefully protect our residents' rights and hold anyone accountable who abuses their power," Johnson pledged. "Nobody is above the law. This lawsuit is about ensuring there is accountability for the lawless actions of the Trump administration and justice for the Chicagoans who have been wronged."
Today, my office has taken significant action to put an end to federal agents’ lawlessness in the state of Illinois. Along with the @chicago-city.bsky.social, I have filed a lawsuit against DHS, ICE, and CBP: vimeo.com/1153715406?s...
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— Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul (@ilattygeneral.bsky.social) January 12, 2026 at 3:25 PM
In statements to multiple media outlets, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin made clear that the Trump administration plans to fight back against both states' moves. She called the Illinois filing "a baseless lawsuit," and said of the Minnesota case, "We have the Constitution on our side on this, and we look forward to proving that in court."
Meanwhile, critics of the Trump administration, and particularly its immigration operations, welcomed the new suits.
Congresswoman Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.), a daughter of immigrants, wrote in a social media post about the suit in her state that "DHS's terror force is the greatest threat to our safety. Their militarized invasion of our cities puts us all at risk. They need to be defunded. They need to be held accountable. In the streets, in Congress, and in courts, we will fight to protect our communities, and we will win."
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New State Laws Aim to Protect Environment, Consumers as Trump Wages All-Out War on Climate
"The gridlock and partisanship we see in Washington, DC can be dispiriting. But history shows that states can build momentum that eventually leads to change at the federal level."
Dec 29, 2025
Even as President Donald Trump and his administration have been ripping up environmental and consumer protection regulations, a number of state laws are set to take effect next year that could at least mitigate some of the damage.
A Monday statement from Environment America and the Public Interest Network highlighted a number of new laws aimed at curbing corporate polluters and enhancing consumer welfare.
First, the groups highlighted "Right to Repair" laws set to take effect in Washington, Nevada, Oregon, and Colorado, which give people the right to repair their own appliances and electronics without burdensome costs or barriers.
The groups lavished particular praise on Colorado's "Right to Repair" laws that they said provide "the broadest repair protections in the country," with new regulations that will give businesses in the state "access to what they and independent repair providers need to fix their electronics themselves."
Illinois, meanwhile, will fully phase out the sale of fluorescent lightbulbs, which will be replaced by energy-efficient LED bulbs. The groups estimate that eliminating the fluorescent bulbs will collectively save Illinois households more than $1.5 billion on their utility bills by 2050, while also reducing energy waste and mercury pollution.
Illinois also drew praise for enacting a ban on polystyrene foam foodware that will take effect on January 1.
The groups also highlighted the work being done in Oregon to protect consumers with legislation mandating price transparency to eliminate surprise junk fees on purchases; prohibiting ambulance companies from socking out-of-network patients with massive fees for rides to nearby hospitals; and placing new restrictions on the ability of medical debt to negatively impact a person's credit score.
California also got a mention in the groups' release for closing a loophole that allowed supermarkets to continue using plastic bags and for creating a new privacy tool for consumers allowing them to request that online data brokers delete all of the personal information they have gathered on them over the years.
Emily Rusch, vice president and senior director of state offices for the Public Interest Network, contrasted the action being taken in the states to protect consumers and the environment with a lack of action being done at the federal level.
"The gridlock and partisanship we see in Washington, DC can be dispiriting," said Rusch. "But history shows that states can build momentum that eventually leads to change at the federal level. As we build on this progress in 2026, we look forward to working with anyone—Republican, Democrat, or independent—with whom we can find common ground."
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