A Democratic organizer was dismissed after alleging that Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed had accepted campaign donations from overseas, a practice that could violate federal election law.

“You know, [El-Sayed] has people from overseas that donate to him,” Abdoul Beckwith told an undercover reporter with O’Keefe Media Group during a secretly recorded conversation.

The reporter replied that, if the allegation were true, such contributions could breach federal campaign finance regulations.

Beckwith, identified by O’Keefe Media Group as a regional field organizer for the Michigan Democratic Party, agreed with that assessment.

“No, it is not allowed,” he said.

Federal law prohibits foreign nationals from directly or indirectly contributing to candidates in federal, state or local elections.

The restriction does not apply to U.S. citizens or green card holders who live abroad, both of whom may legally donate to political campaigns.

Former Rep. Mike Rogers, a Republican from Michigan running against El-Sayed in the closely watched Senate contest, has made the Democrat’s alleged connections to overseas terror groups, including Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, a key focus of his campaign.

Rogers has accused El-Sayed of declining to disavow those organizations.

DON’T MISS: US Troops Evacuate Middle East Bases as Trump Weighs Potential Strike on Iran

During the hidden-camera exchange, Beckwith appeared to offer an explanation for El-Sayed’s position.

“He 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,” Beckwith said.

“So when Abdul is going to denounce that, they’re going to think that he is siding with the genociders,” he added, apparently referring to Israel.

An El-Sayed campaign spokesperson rejected Beckwith’s allegations.

“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,” Roxie Richner told O’Keefe Media Group.

“The Abdul for Senate campaign is fully in compliance with FEC regulations,” Richner added.

The Michigan Democratic Party also sought to distance itself from Beckwith’s remarks, confirming that he had been fired.

“This individual has no knowledge of the Abdul campaign’s internal operations and his claims are categorically false. He is no longer employed with the coordinated campaign,” the party said in a statement provided to O’Keefe Media Group.

El-Sayed’s campaign reported raising $30.7 million in the previous quarter—roughly three times the $9.7 million collected by Rogers during the same period.

The US military has begun quietly relocating troops from the Middle East, while the State Department reduces staffing at diplomatic posts across the region amid continuing threats and as President Donald Trump weighs the possibility of a major strike on Iran.

US personnel stationed at bases in Jordan, Qatar and Kuwait were ordered to move in recent days, according to a US official and two people familiar with the directives who spoke to NBC News.

At the same time, chiefs of mission at several US diplomatic posts in the Middle East were informed Wednesday that their operations would shift to reduced staffing, two US officials told the outlet.

The State Department later said on social media that the US Embassy in Saudi Arabia had been placed under “ordered departure,” a status that limits the mission to emergency personnel.

The significant drawdown is reportedly linked to persistent security threats, including those posed by Iran and Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.

“Iranian-supported Houthis have increasingly engaged in hostilities against Saudi Arabia, including attacks on civilian airports and other critical infrastructure, resulting in civilian casualties and severe travel disruptions,” State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott wrote on X Wednesday as he announced the “ordered departure.”

“The safety and security of Department personnel and their families remain our highest priority and we will continue to take all necessary steps to protect them.”

In comments to NBC News, US Central Command spokesman Timothy Hawkins sought to play down the significance of the troop movements.

“We regularly move US service members and assets to optimize mission readiness,” he said, adding: “We do not discuss related movements for operational security reasons.”

He nevertheless emphasized that “US forces remain vigilant and ready to protect American personnel and interests across the region.”

People familiar with the discussions told NBC News, however, that moving US forces away from potential danger is part of military planning as Trump considers resuming major combat operations in Iran—possibly before next month’s midterm elections.

One US official said the administration believes that pushing Iran toward the brink economically, followed by fresh military strikes, could pressure Tehran to negotiate an end to the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

The US naval blockade has already cost Iran $25 billion in crude oil exports, Admiral Brad Cooper, the commander of US Central Command, said in a video posted on social media Friday.

“The Islamic regime is clearly feeling the economic pain,” he said.

Officials said any new US operation against Iran could be limited in duration, similar to the June 2025 mission known as Operation Midnight Hammer.

Among the options reportedly under consideration is the use of the 21,600-pound “mother of all bombs” against Iranian nuclear facilities and energy infrastructure.

Plans developed by the Pentagon, which were revealed by CNN following conversations with multiple US officials, could be implemented before or after November’s midterm elections if Trump authorizes renewed combat operations.

The enormous weapon, officially known as the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb, or MOAB, is capable of devastating an area equivalent to nine city blocks.

But military insiders have warned that the spectacular explosion might do little to achieve Trump’s ultimate objective of forcing Tehran into submission.

Another source revealed that the enormous bomb features explicitly in plans to attack Iran’s suspected nuclear facilities, including the heavily fortified Pickaxe Mountain complex.

US and Israeli officials believe Tehran has stored components of its nuclear program at the site, which Trump has repeatedly threatened to attack.

Yet military experts have serious doubts about the MOAB’s ability to penetrate the thick layers of granite believed to protect the underground facility.

Unlike specialized bunker-busting weapons, the MOAB is primarily designed to unleash a devastating blast across a vast area rather than drill deep beneath the earth.

‘The MOAB is a massive information operation type weapon that is great for huge area clearance but not much else,’ a source familiar with Pentagon planning told CNN.

‘It is definitely not designed as a deep penetration warhead.’

The weapon could inflict catastrophic damage above ground while leaving deeply buried nuclear installations largely intact.

Its enormous blast radius would also raise serious concerns about civilian casualties, particularly if Iranian energy facilities near populated areas were targeted.

Nevertheless, some officials believe the psychological impact of dropping such a terrifying weapon could demonstrate overwhelming American military strength without restarting a full-scale bombing campaign.

‘POTUS has unfortunately put himself in a situation where he is almost compelled to do something and, without the ammunition designed to penetrate that level … you have to look at psychological effects for which the MOAB is well-equipped,’ the source added.

The dilemma comes as Trump confronts growing frustration over a war that has dragged on for more than six months without a negotiated settlement.

Republicans are increasingly anxious that the conflict could damage their electoral prospects in the approaching midterms, while the president remains reluctant to withdraw without securing a clear victory.

Although some administration officials have suggested the United States has effectively won, Trump has stopped short of declaring the conflict over.

He has also reportedly resisted suggestions from outside allies that he should simply bring American forces home, arguing that such a withdrawal would be perceived as defeat.

Instead, the president vowed on his Truth Social platform on October 8 that ‘we will not be attacking Iran at any time prior to the Midterm Elections, to be held in the United States on November 3.’

He added that while Iran is in ‘very bad condition, both Economically and Militarily,’ the US has been having ‘productive discussions’ with Iranian officials.  

The Daily Mail has reached out to the White House, Pentagon, State Department and US Central Command for comment. 

A Massachusetts woman allegedly operated a lucrative sham-marriage network designed to help clients obtain U.S. green cards and, in some cases, citizenship, according to federal prosecutors.

Jennifer Gonzalez, a U.S. citizen, charged as much as $40,000 for each arranged marriage and organized up to 20 unions a year over roughly the past decade, said Leah Foley, the U.S. attorney for the District of Massachusetts.

Prosecutors allege that several women working for Gonzalez married men seeking legal immigration status in the United States.

“This conspiracy netted her $6 million during the course of the alleged scam,” Foley said at a Wednesday news conference at Boston’s Moakley Federal Courthouse. She added that Gonzalez allegedly boasted about putting the proceeds into businesses and real estate in the Dominican Republic, which she repeatedly called “my country.”

The alleged operation came to light after Gonzalez discussed its details with a witness cooperating with federal investigators. According to Foley, Gonzalez believed the person she was speaking with was an undocumented immigrant.

During a recorded conversation, the 43-year-old allegedly described Massachusetts as “so special” because it is a sanctuary state where “illegal aliens get a lot of help as an immigrant.”

Gonzalez also allegedly told the witness that she hoped to give each of her children land in the Dominican Republic for them to own in the future.

“Miss Gonzalez got rich off selling the American dream, all the while investing her money in another country,” Foley said.

According to Foley, Gonzalez said she stopped arranging fraudulent marriages in late 2024 as President Donald Trump was returning to the White House. She allegedly ended the operation completely in 2025, saying immigration enforcement had become “a little harsh.”

Federal prosecutors have identified Gonzalez as the alleged ringleader, while also accusing several others of taking part in the scheme.

Her secretary, 31-year-old Amara Pugh, and three other women—Jessica Tavares, 31; Erica Daniels, 29; and Jaylin Hill, 26—were allegedly paid to marry Gonzalez’s clients.

Gonzalez is also accused of entering into a sham marriage herself with an undocumented immigrant.

The Justice Department included photographs of at least two wedding ceremonies in court documents outlining the alleged scheme.

In many instances, prosecutors said, the women remained married to the men for several years before divorcing them. Some allegedly married new clients as soon as a month after their divorces were finalized.

Foley said the alleged fraud extended beyond the marriage arrangements. Prosecutors also accuse Gonzalez of applying for and collecting SNAP food assistance between 2019 and 2026.

Authorities say she received more than $124,000 in SNAP benefits during that period.

“She did not list her income from her sham marriage business and did not list anyone else in her household, not the illegal alien she married and not the father of her children, who she referred to as her husband,” Foley said.

Gonzalez, Pugh, Tavares and two other alleged co-conspirators were arrested Wednesday morning, the Justice Department announced. Hill was already serving a state prison sentence for a gun-related offense.