Bobby Jindal's Non-Profit Funds Campaign Against Abdul El-Sayed

A coordinated effort to disrupt the campaign of Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed involved paid influencer marketing and public confrontations. During a town hall in Flint, Michigan, Thomas Teepell, a former operations director for Senator Josh Hawley, questioned El-Sayed about alleged ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. The exchange subsequently became a viral campaign clip for El-Sayed.

Investigations into the incident revealed that Timothy Teepell, a Republican strategist and father of Thomas Teepell, operates Breakthrough LLC. On September 29, Breakthrough LLC received $250,000 from America Next, a non-profit founded by former Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, to fund canvassing and influencer marketing against El-Sayed. America Next also reportedly offered students $200 to boo and question the candidate at events.

While Donald Trump and candidate Mike Rogers have alleged that El-Sayed has ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, no evidence supports these claims. FEC records show no direct payment to Thomas Teepell, and the Mike Rogers campaign has not been linked to the disruption in Flint.