As AIPAC becomes toxic', it is trying to conceal spending in US elections

A 30-second Illinois election advertisement praised congressional candidate Bushra Amiwala and presented her as a fighter for economic justice. The commercial was not a genuine effort to elect her, and Amiwala quickly disavowed it. Public records show the ad was paid for by a political action committee associated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). AIPAC has funded tens of millions of dollars in election campaigns to support candidates aligned with its positions and to oppose candidates critical of Israel. Advocates argue these tactics reduce election transparency by exploiting gaps in political finance rules. In Illinois, the ad was intended to siphon votes from progressive candidates, including Palestinian American activist Kat Abughazaleh, who lost narrowly. The PAC name on the ad was widely believed to be linked to AIPAC, but funding sources were not required to be revealed until after the March elections.

"The video starts with a burst of cheerful music, and a narrator praises congressional candidate Bushra Amiwala as a fighter for real economic justice and the real deal. But the video was not part of a genuine effort to get Amiwala elected to the United States House of Representatives. And the candidate quickly disavowed it. Instead, public records reviewed by Al Jazeera now show the commercial was paid for by a political action committee (PAC) associated with the largest pro-Israel lobby group in the US."

"Funding for the advertisement came from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which has been pumping tens of millions of dollars into election campaigns in a push to sink candidates critical of Israel. With the midterm primary season in full swing, advocates say AIPAC is placing its thumb on the scale in many congressional races. Its tactics, they argue, undermine election transparency."

"In Illinois, the advertisement aimed to boost Amiwala in order to syphon off votes from more viable progressive candidates — namely, Palestinian American activist Kat Abughazaleh, who ended up losing the race narrowly. While the Chicago Progressive Partnership — the group whose name appeared on the Amiwala advertisement — was widely believed to be linked to AIPAC, it did not have to reveal the source of its funding until after the elections, which took place in March."

"“Every cycle, AIPAC shows just how broken our democracy is and how corrupt our political finance system is,” said Usamah Andrabi, a spokesperson at Justice Democrats, a progressive group. “Every cycle, they are at the forefront of exploiting those gaps for their right-wing donors and at the expense of voters.”"

Read at www.aljazeera.com