O’Keefe Media Group on Monday released an undercover video that it says exposes illegal overseas donations flowing to Michigan Democrat Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed with his knowledge. The explosive allegation centers on comments made by Abdul Beckwith, identified as a regional field organizer for El-Sayed’s campaign.
Foreign nationals are prohibited from making campaign contributions. Beckwith nevertheless described [1] overseas supporters donating to El-Sayed and acknowledged that such contributions are not allowed.
“You know, he [Abdul El Sayed] has people from overseas that donate to him,” Beckwith told an undercover O’Keefe Media Group journalist. His statement directly linked the candidate to people outside the United States who allegedly send money.
The journalist then asked Beckwith whether overseas donations were prohibited. Beckwith responded, “No, it is not allowed,” before outlining a hypothetical method for routing the money through a family member.
Beckwith described an arrangement in which someone overseas gives money to another person, who then passes money to the intended recipient. “And then people overseas give money to him. And then he gives money to you. It’s that type of thing.”
The undercover exchange also moved beyond campaign money and into El-Sayed’s political positioning. Beckwith said the candidate could lose support if he publicly denounced Hamas or the Muslim Brotherhood, designated terrorist organizations.
El-Sayed’s sister has publicly claimed that their family has ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. Beckwith suggested that a denunciation could be viewed by Muslim supporters as siding with people they blame for genocide.
“So that’s the whole thing. So when Abdul is going to denounce that [Muslim Brotherhood], they’re [Muslims] going to think that he is siding with the genociders,” Beckwith said.
Beckwith also expressed concern about the racial and religious makeup of the people surrounding El-Sayed. He specifically complained that there were too many white and Jewish people around the Senate candidate and suggested their influence could change him.
“There’s a lot of white people around [El-Sayed]. A lot of Jewish people around him. And when you’re around a certain group of people for so long, you absorb the ideology, the mannerisms, everything like that,” he said.
Beckwith then warned that those individuals could eventually take control of El-Sayed’s political direction. “[Whites and Jews] are going to hijack him and then in a year he’s going to be doing what they want with him.”
BREAKING NEWS: Abdul El-Sayed Campaign Official Reveals El-Sayed Receives Overseas Donations, Admits Foreign Contributions Are Illegal Under Federal Law, Warns Denouncing Hamas Could Cost Support
“You know, he [Abdul El-Sayed] has people from overseas that donate to him…No it is not allowed.”
“He [Abdul El Sayed] can’t just say, you know, no, I don’t support Hamas, you know, I reject all of them, because he’s going to lose the people that brought him up in the first place.”
@AbdulElSayed @MikeRogersForMI
— James O’Keefe (@JamesOKeefeIII) October 19, 2026 [2]
The O’Keefe Media Group journalist pressed Beckwith on whether El-Sayed might ultimately abandon the promises he had made. Beckwith responded, “I think, yeah.”
The video therefore combines several damaging claims from Beckwith, including allegations involving prohibited foreign money, concerns about denouncing Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, and warnings that white and Jewish associates could influence El-Sayed. His remarks also questioned whether the candidate would remain committed to his promises.
El-Sayed’s team rejected Beckwith’s claims and disputed the basic description of his relationship with the campaign. A communications director said Beckwith was a junior staffer who had never been employed by the Abdul for Senate campaign.
“This junior staffer has never been employed by the Abdul for Senate campaign – his comments here are untrue, wildly misinformed, and not reflective of the campaign. The Abdul for Senate campaign is fully in compliance with FEC regulations,” the communications director said.
Official Statement from @AbdulElSayed’s Team https://t.co/mvqXPxnShN
— James O’Keefe (@JamesOKeefeIII) October 19, 2026 [3]
That response flatly denied Beckwith’s claims and maintained that the campaign follows federal election rules. It also created a direct dispute between the picture presented in O’Keefe Media Group’s undercover video and the official account offered by El-Sayed’s campaign.