A report from the New York Post on Sunday highlighted that Zoran Mamdani, a Democratic candidate for mayor in New York, may have accepted around $13,000 in donations that appear to violate federal laws concerning foreign contributions.
Out of the 54,000 donations his campaign received, at least 170 are from donors with addresses outside the United States. According to the Post, U.S. law only allows donations from citizens or legal residents to political campaigns and PACs.
For instance, a $500 contribution was made to his campaign by his mother-in-law, Baria Dardari, who resides in Dubai. This donation has since been returned, as the records from the New York City Campaign Finance Commission indicate.
Mamdani’s campaign has returned a total of $5,608 in donations, including the one from his mother-in-law, and has stated it plans to return all outside donations, as reported by the Post.
When shown the details of the donations, the campaign said via a statement on Saturday: “We will of course return any donations that do not comply with CFB law.”
However, the newspaper noted that the campaign hasn’t been able to return 88 donations, amounting to $7,190, that are believed to come from foreign contributors. By Sunday, Mamdani’s campaign had raised nearly $4 million from personal contributions, based on information from the Campaign Finance Committee.
Eric Adams, the Democratic Mayor of New York City who dropped out of the mayoral race recently, accused the Campaign Finance Commission of showing clear favoritism towards Mamdani. He remarked that the selective enforcement of rules undermines democracy, asserting that his campaign was denied matching funds amid unfounded allegations while Mamdani’s campaign received millions even after the foreign donations were identified.
Adams expressed this sentiment on social media, echoing his concerns about the commission’s lack of diversity and fairness.
Meanwhile, Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa expressed serious concern over the allegations of foreign donations. He suggested that there could be even more foreign money involved, stating that this is troubling not just for Mamdani but for anyone involved in political action committees, suggesting that such practices could pave the way for illegal funding.
Campaign finance documentation also revealed that Mamdani’s campaign received a $250 donation from Ugur Machit, who is reportedly based in Germany, and a $2,500 contribution from James Fleureau in Australia. Additionally, Ada Diaz Ahmed, another Dubai-based investor, donated $2,100.
As of now, Mamdani’s campaign and the finance committee have not responded to inquiries from external sources regarding these issues.
