Jeffrey Soros, the nephew of billionaire Democrat donor George Soros, told guests at a Monday night fundraiser that he has known Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed since 2012, when he interviewed him for a family fellowship that later helped pay for the candidate’s graduate education.
The Hollywood producer, who serves as CEO of the Los Angeles Media Fund, hosted El-Sayed at his California home for the closed-door event, according to footage obtained by Fox News Digital. Organizers asked attendees not to record.
Standing beside El-Sayed, Soros welcomed the room before recounting how the two met.
“I just wanted to welcome you here and express my appreciation for coming. And it’s been a privilege,” Soros said in the footage. “Speaking of privilege, I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Abdul since 2012. I got to interview him as a finalist for my parents. Fellowship, the Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans.”
El-Sayed, the son of Egyptian immigrants, won the fellowship that year. The program, founded by Soros’ parents to support immigrants and their children pursuing graduate study, advertised awards of up to $90,000 over two years in the 2012 cycle. It still lists him among its fellows.
A flyer for the event said guests could give up to $57,800 to the Abdul for Michigan Victory Fund. Jeffrey Soros and his wife, Catharine, hosted alongside Pod Save America hosts Jon Favreau, Tommy Vietor, and Ben Rhodes.
The setting has become a problem for El-Sayed, who has made getting money out of politics a theme of his run. In a 2025 interview, the former Wayne County health director described the “fundamental corruption” of a system that lets “corporations and would-be oligarchs and billionaires” buy influence.
Republican nominee Mike Rogers’ campaign seized on the footage.
“Abdul El-Sayed raising dark Soros money in California after begging Chuck Schumer for money in DC is the least surprising thing he’s done all cycle,” communications director Alyssa Brouillet told Fox News. “That’s what a conman does — says one thing and does another.”
The El-Sayed campaign did not address the fellowship remarks, arguing instead that “corporate special interests are spending millions of dollars in dark money to try to buy Rogers a Senate seat.”
The fundraiser comes as Rogers leads El-Sayed 44.4 percent to 43.1 percent, according to a poll released this month.
