Mamdani faces criminal referrals over alleged foreign donations to NYC mayoral campaign

With one week until Election Day in New York City, a campaign finance watchdog group, the Coolidge Reagan Foundation, filed two criminal referrals against Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani on Tuesday, claiming he received illegal contributions from foreign donors, but the Mamdani campaign maintains that any issue regarding financial contributions has been resolved.

A review of finance reports earlier this month revealed that Mamdani's campaign had accepted nearly $13,000 from at least 170 donors from outside the United States, raising questions about his campaign's financial compliance, as only U.S. citizens or permanent legal residents are permitted to contribute to American political campaigns.

"These are not isolated incidents or clerical errors," Dan Backer, a national campaign finance expert and president of the Coolidge Reagan Foundation, told Fox News Digital. "This was a sustained pattern of foreign money flowing into a New York City mayoral race which is a clear violation of both federal law and New York City campaign finance rules. Mamdani’s campaign was on notice for months that it was accepting illegal foreign contributions, and yet it did nothing meaningful to stop it."

A review of his campaign finance reports revealed
<><>commie Mamdani got some $13,000 from 170 donors outside the US,
<><>raises questions about his overall campaign’s financial compliance.

Only U.S. citizens or permanent legal residents are
permitted to contribute to American political campaigns.

Criminal......foreigners are who he’ll take orders from.

Campaign finance reports filed by Zohran Mamdani’s campaign are the official record, but their accuracy has been called into question due to recent controversies. Most notably allegations that the Mamdani campaign improperly accepted donations from foreign sources, which is a violation of U.S. election law.

Mamdani’s campaign accepted over $13,000 in illegal foreign donations were reported Oct 2025. Other campaigns have used these allegations to attack Mamdani, accusing him of taking “dirty money.”

This has made Mamdani’s donor credibility a central issue in the mayoral race.

US election law prohibits campaigns from accepting donations from foreign sources. The emergence of these claims has raised concerns about Mamdani’s transparency and accountability.

Data provided by the New York City Campaign Finance Board (NYCCFB) confirms that Mamdani’s campaign has raised significant funds, largely from small-dollar donors and public matching funds.

NYCity’s public financing system strongly favors candidates who can demonstrate a broad base of support through small donations. Mamdani maxed out on public funds; the majority of his overall fundraising comes from this source.

The New York Times, a Mamdani supporter, “reported” Sept 2025 that Mamdani has received “more support” from small-dollar donors than his rivals. His donations include detailed information that is available to the public.

Financial reports submitted by the Mamdani campaign to the NYCCFB are the official record, but third-party analyses (OpenSecrets or FollowTheMoney.org) and media investigations differ due to time lag or differing methodology.

In summary: The core financial information filed by the Mamdani campaign with the NYCCFB is likely his attempt at accuracy and transparency, but the accuracy of Mamdani’s reporting has been challenged by allegations of illegal foreign donations.

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