Palestinian-American activist Linda Sarsour has claimed that the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), currently facing congressional scrutiny over alleged links to Hamas-was the primary financial backer of Zohran Mamdani’s New York City mayoral campaign. According to a report in The New York Post, Sarsour, a long-time political mentor and ally of the Democrat frontrunner, boasted that she and the Hamas-linked non-profit were instrumental in fuelling Mamdani’s rise. The claims have sparked fresh controversy amid an ongoing federal investigation into CAIR’s alleged financial connections to the terrorist organisation.
Sarsour named the CAIR-funded Unity and Justice Fund PAC, describing it as “the largest institutional donor to the pro-Zohran super PAC in New York”, The New York Post reported.
Public records reveal that the Unity and Justice Fund PAC donated $120,000 (approximately Rs 25 crore) to Lower Costs, a New York City-based pro-Mamdani PAC, out of around $3 million raised during this election cycle.
CAIR is under investigation by lawmakers including Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and Tom Cotton (R-AR), who have urged the US Treasury to determine whether the non-profit has been bankrolled by Hamas. Evidence presented in a recent congressional hearing allegedly showed that the organisation was provided “seed money” by Hamas, the New York Post reported.
The allegations have cast doubts on Mamdani’s campaign for accepting financial support from a group facing terrorism-linked scrutiny.
In a separate video that surfaced on Monday, Sarsour, known for her vocal support of Hamas-hinted that she might reveal more details about Mamdani’s rapid political ascent and his financial backing from CAIR once the election concludes.
Sarsour, 45, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America alongside Mamdani, declared that her group would hold him accountable if he failed to deliver on his Marxist promises.
“When Zohran gets inaugurated in January, and as we move forward with this mayor, we have to be the people outside,” she said. “Zohran is going to have to tell his own critics… ‘Look out that window, those people outside, these constituents, these activists, these organisers that are outside, I’m accountable to them, because they’re the ones that helped me get there,’” The New York Post quoted her as saying.
Mamdani, who defeated former Governor Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary in June, now faces Cuomo, running as an independent, and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa in Tuesday’s election.
