DMFI rejects claim it received GOP funding

Democratic Majority for Israel hit back at accusations that it was funneling funds from Republican donors to support Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY) ahead of his June 23 primary. 

An article published Monday in The Intercept claimed a “Republican super PAC” has given $100,000 to DMFI to support Engel. The report noted that “donors to Americans for Tomorrow’s Future all give heavily to Republican causes,” adding that “some give to Democrats as well.” 

DMFI President and CEO Mark Mellman told Jewish Insider on Tuesday that the report was “dishonest and deceptive” and misrepresented the source of the funding. “Americans for Tomorrow’s Future PAC is a bipartisan pro-Israel PAC,” Mellman told JI. “As we understand it, two of its three board members are registered Democrats and one is a registered Independent.” 

Mellman claimed that the article’s authors, Ryan Grim and Akela Lacy, failed to contact DMFI for a comment on their story, and he accused the publication of having “a long record of hostility towards Israel, our organization and Congressman Engel.”

Grim shared with JI a screenshot on Tuesday showing he emailed Mellman Monday morning inquiring about the donation and asking whether DFMI had guidelines in place to prevent Republican donors from using the group to funnel money into the primary. “As we reported, all of the donors give heavily to Republicans, many exclusively so,” Grim told JI. “The PAC uses the premier GOP compliance and accounting firm, and even the Center for Responsive Politics lists it as Republican.”

The DMFI CEO told JI the organization has been clear that it supports only Democratic candidates, and is “comprised of Democrats who have labored in Democratic administrations, worked for Democratic candidates and raised money for aspiring Democratic office holders.”

“When people give money to DMFI PAC they know they are giving to support Democrats. Period,” Mellman asserted. 

This post was updated at 11:45 a.m.