A wealthy Muslim-American businessman with roots in a Palestinian refugee camp has quietly emerged as a major financial patron of some of Congresss most hard-left, anti-Israel Democratswhile simultaneously bankrolling two Republicans who have broken with the partys traditional pro-Israel stance.
According to the Washington Free Beacon, Texas-based tycoon Sam Mahrouq and his family have steered nearly $150,000 into the coffers of Squad Democrats, a new super PAC created to counter the influence of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), and the campaigns of Rep. Thomas Massie (R., Ky.) and former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R., Ga.). The pattern of giving underscores how opposition to Israel and to robust U.S. support for the Jewish state is increasingly becoming a point of convergence between the far left and a small but vocal faction on the right.
Federal Election Commission records show that Mahrouq, a real estate, technology, and auto dealership magnate, contributed $7,000 to Massie last year, the maximum permitted per election cycle. His wife Rania, daughter Raneem, and son Zaid Mahrouq each matched that amount, while another $7,000 came from a Mohammad Mahrouq whose listed address and employerIkon Technologies, a major software firm founded and owned by Sam Mahrouqmirror the rest of the family, though no further public information about him is readily available.
Mahrouq also sent $9,000 to Greene and her People Over Politicians PAC, aligning her financially with the same donor network fueling some of the most radical anti-Israel voices in Congress. These contributions place Massie and Greene in the company of far-left Squad figures who have made hostility to Israel and to AIPAC central to their political brands.
Since 2019, the Mahrouq family has directed nearly $21,000 to Rep. Ilhan Omar (D., Minn.) and more than $18,500 to Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D., Mich.), both of whom have repeatedly vilified Israel on the national stage. They have also given $1,000 to Rep. Summer Lee (D., Pa.) and $5,000 to former Rep. Cori Bush (D., Mo.), further cementing their role as key funders of the Democratic Partys most aggressively anti-Israel flank.
Massie, who bills himself as Kentuckys most conservative congressman, has nonetheless attracted support from left-wing activists as he has opposed President Donald Trumps foreign policy initiatives and clashed with Trumps political operation, which is now working to unseat him in a Republican primary. His foreign policy positions, particularly on Israel and Iran, have increasingly aligned him with progressive and even socialist groups that typically oppose conservative Republicans.
In August, Massie met with leaders of the Integrity Political Action Committee shortly after the group formed a coalition with the Democratic Socialists of America to combat ICEs crackdown on immigration violations. Around the same time, the PACs chairman, Rafed Aljoboury, contributed $500 to Massies campaign, illustrating how his stance on immigration and foreign policy has opened doors to donors far outside the traditional GOP base.
Neither the Mahrouq family nor the members of Congress involved responded to requests for comment on these contributions. Mohammad Mahrouq could not be reached for comment, leaving unanswered questions about the full scope of the familys political network.
Mahrouq has publicly stated that he was born in a Palestinian refugee camp in Amman, Jordan, before immigrating to the United States at age 18, where he began exporting cars to the Middle East while studying at the University of Texas at Arlington. Over the years, he has built a sprawling business empire as founder, chairman, and CEO of MEI Grouporiginally Mahrouq Enterprises Internationalspanning automotive, technology, finance, insurance, and real estate.
His portfolio includes at least 11 car dealerships across North Texas, a Dollar Rent-a-Car franchise, and Ikon, which provides vehicle-tracking and data services to auto dealers nationwide. Collectively, his businesses employ hundreds of workers and generate roughly $55 million in annual revenue, according to the Car Dealership Guy podcast, where Mahrouq appeared in January.
A member of the Arlington, Texas, Mayors Muslim Advisory Council, Mahrouq has also leveraged his wealth to advance anti-Israel causes in the political arena. Beyond bankrolling Squad memberswho have blamed Israel for provoking Hamass Oct. 7, 2023, massacre, calling it resistance, and have accused the Jewish state of ethnic cleansing, genocide, and apartheidMahrouq has poured $100,000 into American Priorities, a newly formed super PAC designed to exploit growing anti-Israel sentiment within the Democratic Party.
American Priorities plans to spend eight figures in at least a dozen House races in 2026, partnering with a constellation of left-wing organizations. Its allies include the Institute for Middle East Understanding Policy Project, an anti-Israel activist group; Justice Democrats, the PAC that launched Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortezs (D., N.Y.) 2018 campaign; and Leaders We Deserve, cofounded by activist David Hogg to promote far-left candidates in deep-blue districts.
Other major funders of American Priorities include Silicon Valley angel investor Tariq Afaq Ahmed and tech executive Omar Hasa, both prominent backers of New York City socialist lawmaker Zohran Mamdani (D.). The donor list also features Amir Nathoo, a Tech for Palestine board member who was once banned from LinkedIn after comparing Israel to Nazi Germany, underscoring the ideological tenor of the coalition.
American Priorities did not respond to a request for comment about its donors or its electoral strategy. Its emergence, however, signals a concerted effort by progressive activists and their financial backers to weaken AIPAC and reshape U.S. Middle East policy from the far left.
Massie has openly called to end all U.S. military aid to Israel and has opposed both Operation Epic Furythe wide-scale campaign President Donald Trump launched last week to topple the Iranian regime and prevent it from obtaining nuclear weaponsand Operation Midnight Hammer, which targeted Iranian nuclear facilities in June. He routinely votes against legislation backed by the Trump White House, prompting Trump, whose political operation is now backing a primary challenger, to brand him the worst Republican Congressman and an almost guaranteed NO VOTE each and every time.
Greene, for her part, voted alongside Massie to block aid to Israel and accused the Jewish state of committing genocide before resigning from Congress in January. She has also appeared to cultivate ties with Medea Benjamin, cofounder of the far-left activist group Code Pink, which is funded by pro-CCP tech mogul Neville Roy Singham and has worked on behalf of members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization.
Mahrouqs giving extends beyond Congress to other far-left and anti-Israel figures, including $2,100 to Zohran Mamdani, $1,500 to anti-police Michigan Democratic Senate hopeful Abdul El-Sayed, and $500 to Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner, who once covered up a Nazi tattoo and has promoted anti-Semites. He has also contributed $1,000 to Anti-Zionist America PAC, $1,750 to Citizens Against AIPAC Corruption, and $3,500 to Texas Democrat James Talarico, who defeated Jasmine Crockett in a Senate primary on Tuesday.
Talarico declined to comment on the support he received from Mahrouq, leaving voters to draw their own conclusions about the ideological commitments of this donor network. As money from Mahrouq and his allies flows to an array of anti-Israel, anti-police, and far-left candidatesand to the occasional Republican willing to break with the partys pro-Israel consensusthe emerging alliance raises serious questions for conservatives about foreign policy, party discipline, and the growing influence of radical donors on both sides of the aisle.
Login