Was that so difficult, Raja? (Updated)
Wednesday, Dec 10, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Tina Sfondeles…
U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi has donated $29,300 — the entirety of campaign contributions from Palantir chief technology officer Shyam Sankar — to immigrant rights groups, his Senate campaign said on Wednesday.
Krishnamoorthi’s decision came after the Chicago Sun-Times on Monday reported that the congressman, who has raised $24 million for his Senate bid, has accepted more than $90,000 in contributions from key Trump and MAGA contributors including Sankar. Palantir has a $30 million contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to provide tools to track self-deportation. The company has been an ICE contractor since 2011.
A campaign spokesperson confirmed that Krishnamoorthi donated $29,300 to “immigrant rights groups,” although the campaign did not disclose which groups. Sankar had contributed that amount to Krishnamoorthi since 2015, including $3,500 to his Senate campaign committee in June.
He should’ve done this days ago.
* Meanwhile, Republican US Senate candidate Don Tracy sent this out before the Sun-Times story was published this morning…
Yesterday’s revelations about the Krishnamoorthi campaign aren’t isolated slip-ups. They show a deliberate pattern of deception that speaks to Raja Krishnamoorthi’s character. As the leading Democrat in the Senate race, he has built his brand on friendly ads promising integrity. But under closer scrutiny, Raja is revealing himself to be just another slick career politician, who will say whatever it takes and will take money from anyone to win.
Let’s start with the fake endorsement. For months, Raja’s team blasted fundraising emails that appeared to be written by Rep. Ted Lieu, complete with Lieu’s signature and photo, urging donors to “flip the Senate blue” with Raja. These were strategic blasts to over 88,000 supporters, claiming an influential nod from one of Congress’s highest-ranking Asian American leaders. Lieu knew nothing about it. No approval. No heads-up. Just the total fabrication of an endorsement that never existed to juice the cash flow.
Raja’s camp called it a “miscommunication.” Give us a break. It was a calculated choice to mislead donors and inflate his clout in a hotly contested primary. It’s cheating, plain and simple, something Illinois has seen far too much of in government. And it’s particularly galling coming from someone who lectures America on ethics on a near-daily basis.
Then there’s the campaign donations: Over $90,000 from Trump allies and megadonors, plus $120,000 more from corporate PACs aligned with President Trump, all while condemning Trump on TV and vowing to “stop” him.
Two-faced opportunists who say one thing in ads and do another behind closed doors are a problem in Illinois. But let’s be clear: this was a betrayal of trust and Illinoisans can no longer afford politics as usual.
Don Tracy, a proven leader and the Republican front runner in this race, stands for straight talk and real accountability: no fake endorsements, no double-talk, and no hypocritical handshakes. In November 2026, Illinoisans will have a choice: send Don Tracy to the Senate to work for working families or continue to vote for hypocrites and career politicians.
…Adding… From Allison Janowski at the Stratton campaign…
Despite Team Raja originally doubling down on their ICE money and saying they welcome support from “anyone,” we’re glad to see that they’ve course-corrected, and we look forward to their full and transparent accounting of where the money was sent. While they’re busy revisiting their donations, they should also revisit the tens of thousands of dollars they’ve collected from Trump advisors and MAGA colluders. Values that you only uphold when you’re held publicly accountable aren’t values — they’re talking points. Illinoisans see through it.