Donor offers to give Dem $20M if they challenge Rashida Tlaib for Congress seat: source

A Michigan businessman offered $20 million in campaign cash to Democratic candidate Hill Harper if he agreed drop out of his Senate race and instead challenge Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D) in the congressional primary, according to a source.

A source with direct knowledge of the situation said entrepreneur Linden Nelson, who has donated in the past to candidates from both parties, offered $10 million in bundled contributions directly to Harper’s campaign and $10 million in independent expenditures after Tlaib criticized Israel's government for its handling of the war against Hamas, reported Politico.

“It would be illegal for a wealthy donor and a person planning to run for office to essentially coordinate and line up $20 million in financing to support that person’s candidacy," said Saurav Ghosh, the director for federal reform at the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center.

"This would raise serious corruption concerns about the candidate being wholly within that one donor’s pocket."

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The source said Harper declined the Oct. 16 offer, but he declined to comment on the record to Politico about the call. Nelson quickly ended the call when a reporter reached him for comment, and did not respond to follow-up requests about the offer or its legality.

Tlaib, the only Palestinian American in Congress, has called for a ceasefire in Gaza with no conditions, and while that position is gaining support among Democrats, more than 20 from her own party voted with House Republicans to censure her for invoking a pro-Palestine slogan that's viewed as a call to eradicate Israel.

Harper, an actor best known for his roles on the TV series "CSY: NY" and "The Good Doctor," called for a "humanitarian ceasefire" on Nov. 10, nearly a month after the alleged call from Nelson.

“The answers to ensure long-term peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians are neither simple nor pain-free, but one truth stands firm: violence against defenseless children, trapped and frightened, is abhorrent, regardless of who is behind it,” Harper said in a statement issued earlier this month.

Nelson has previously donated to a group challenging Tlaib and has previously been involved with the American Israel Affairs Committee (AIPAC).