A professional-Palestinian Texas businessman has been bankrolling an anti-Israel tremendous PAC that’s now backing a a trio of rebel far-left New York congressional candidates, data present.
Hussein “Sam” Mahrouq — the proprietor of Enterprises Worldwide, which runs AutoMax and Greenback Lease-A-Automobile — donated $400,000 to the American Priorities PAC, which was fashioned earlier this 12 months as a counter to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
The group stated Tuesday it will drop $2 million to on TV, streaming and digital adverts to spice up Home candidates, Darializa Avila Chevalier, Claire Valdez and Brad Lander, who’ve all been endorsed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
A number of the PAC’s largest funders had been huge league donors that helped gasoline Mamdani’s successful mayoral marketing campaign final 12 months.
Amongst them was New York-based Muslim businessman Mohammad Waqas, who funneled $1 million to American Priorities after being the highest donor to the pro-Mamdani PAC New Yorkers for Decrease Prices.
Omer Hasan, a Silicon Valley investor who gave not less than $250,000 to New Yorkers for Decrease Prices, additionally donated $1 million to the brand new PAC.
Mahrouq, in the meantime, personally gave $2,100 on to Mamdani’s rebel marketing campaign in June of final 12 months.
The Muslim-American, who says he was born in a Palestinian refugee camp in Jordan, has funneled tens of 1000’s of {dollars} to lefty “Squad” members Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) during the last seven years.
However Mahrouq’s donations additionally crossed the aisle to anti-Israel Republicans.
He has despatched $500 to a marketing campaign for Kentucky Rep. Thomas Masse, who has been outspoken in opposition to the US promoting arms to Israel. Mahrouq additionally gave 1000’s of {dollars} to former Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a critic of the Jewish state’s actions in Gaza.
The three New York congressional hopefuls set to get a money infusion from the brand new PAC have been brazenly pro-Palestinian and brought an antagonistic stance towards Israel — which has turn out to be a wedge concern for Democrats inside their very own celebration.
American Priorities is predicted to begin taking out adverts on streaming and different digital platforms, together with one that includes anti-Israel activist Mahmoud Khalil and his spouse, in line with the New York Occasions, which first reported the new spending.
Avila Chevalier protested Israel alongside Khalil at Columbia College and has railed in opposition to the Jewish state in social media posts, together with writing in 2020 that “Israel doesn’t exist!”
She is operating to take down five-term incumbent Rep. Adrianno Espaillat in New York’s thirteenth Home District within the June 23 Democratic major.
Worldwide politics haven’t been entrance and heart in that race or in Avila Chevalier’s fellow Democratic Socialists of America member Valdez’s bid for the open NY-7 seat.
Nevertheless, the Israel-Palestine concern has confirmed to be a scorching subject in Lander’s bid to unseat sitting Rep. Dan Goldman within the DSA-friendly tenth District overlaying brownstone Brooklyn and Decrease Manhattan.
Mahrouq has additionally donated $6,000 to the Residents Towards AIPAC Corruption PAC in 2025.
And he gave $1,000 final 12 months to the Anti-Zionist America PAC, which is run by a former NYU professor, Michael Rectenwald, who revealed a guide, “The Jewish Query” — earlier than it received modified to the “The Cabal Query” by Amazon.
Rectenwald, who made headlines in 2016 throughout his anti-political correctness marketing campaign, has posted on social media that “Jewish mafia did 9/11” and continuously referred to the “Jewish elites.”
Calls to Mahrouq weren’t returned.
American Priorities’ treasurer is Brooklyn-based political operative Mark Hanna, data present. The PAC is managed by Hannah Fertig, a progressive strategist and staffer from the Justice Democrats group, which helped get Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez elected and is backing Avila Chevalier.
