Heckler who went viral confronting El-Sayed is son of operative paid $250K to campaign against him

The man who asked Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed to disavow the Muslim Brotherhood — sparking a five-minute exchange that racked up more than 50 million views — is the son of a Republican political operative whose firm was paid $250,000 for 'canvassing and influencer marketing' against El-Sayed just days before the confrontation, according to Federal Election Commission filings reviewed by the Guardian.

Thomas 'Tommy' Teepell, first identified by the Handbasket, posed the question to El-Sayed at a town hall. El-Sayed said he would disavow the group, then turned the exchange back on his questioner: 'What are you implying? Do you assume that I wouldn't?' The back-and-forth, in which El-Sayed invoked constitutional guarantees of religious freedom, became one of the most-watched political clips of the cycle.

The elder Teepell, Timothy — known as Timmy — built his career advising Missouri Republican Senator Josh Hawley and former Republican Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, and Tommy is his son. Hawley's campaign committee has also paid Timmy Teepell's firm, Breakthrough LLC, according to the Guardian.

According to FEC records, America Next — a 501(c)(4) non-profit Jindal established in 2013 that occupies the same Baton Rouge office suite as Breakthrough LLC — directed $250,000 to Breakthrough on September 29, earmarked for canvassing and influencer marketing aimed at opposing El-Sayed. It is the only independent expenditure America Next has reported since 2015, when it paid for television advertising backing Jindal's presidential campaign.

The Guardian reports that America Next had already been working to generate 'organic' opposition to El-Sayed before the viral moment. The coordinated effort extended beyond the Teepell encounter: on October 1, a University of Michigan College Republicans member named Iman Dashti posted in the group's GroupMe chat offering fellow students $200 each to travel to an El-Sayed town hall in Flint, boo the candidate, and ask him pointed questions — saying he was acting on behalf of America Next.

If you don't know, I asked Abdul a tough question during his last town hall meeting, and it generated a VERY negative news cycle for him. We are going to coordinate questions to ask him and spread out to increase the chances we're called on. We're gonna boo him. We're gonna show everyone that ABDUL IS NOT WELCOME IN THE SENATE.— Iman Dashti, University of Michigan College Republicans member

Dashti's October 1 message referenced a separate September 23 town hall hosted by More Perfect University, where Dashti — who is Persian American — had accused El-Sayed of adopting a foreign policy stance too lenient toward Iran's government. El-Sayed's position, as he expressed it, was that corporate interests are served by foreign intervention and wars aimed at changing governments, while civilians bear the cost. That exchange drew highly critical coverage from outlets including Fox News and the Jerusalem Post, according to the Michigan Daily.

Bring your friends. Bring your girlfriend. Take her out somewhere nice with the $400 you two will make in literally 2.5 hours. All u have to do to get paid is COME AND SHOW OUT AGAINST ABDUL.— Iman Dashti, University of Michigan College Republicans member

El-Sayed's campaign spokesperson Cole Wozniak responded pointedly. Wozniak sent an email to the Michigan Daily asking, 'Mike Rogers has to pay $200 per person to get people to show up at an event?' and adding, 'Yikes. Hundreds of Michiganders show up to every single Abdul town hall for free.' The Michigan Daily found no evidence that Rogers' campaign had any direct involvement with the disruption plan.

As the Michigan Daily points out, compensating people to heckle or pose questions at a political event runs afoul of neither federal nor Michigan law; the First Amendment's free-speech protections extend to peaceful opposition and heckling even when those involved are paid.

America Next does not disclose its donors. Its tax filings for the year ending July 2024 reported $5,066,000 in contributions. Tax documents filed by other organizations shed light on some of its funding: American Action Network — described by the Guardian as a dark-money group tied to House Republican leaders — contributed $500,000 to America Next for 'issue support' in its tax year ending June 2022. Secure Florida's Future, a Tallahassee-based 501(c)(4), gave it $250,000 in 2022. America Next has also directed at least $1,475,000 to Republican Super PACs since 2018, according to FEC records.

That same Baton Rouge office suite, shared by America Next and Breakthrough LLC, also serves as the registered address of a Christian non-profit for which Timmy Teepell is listed as registered agent, with two additional Teepell family members on its board of directors. Business records in Pennsylvania further identify Timmy Teepell as a director of Sean Feucht's ministry, an organization that holds title to a townhouse on Capitol Hill. Feucht has offered public prayers on behalf of Teepell's political endeavors, and Teepell appeared on the speaker roster at Feucht's 'Hold the Line' conference, held at the Trump International Hotel in Washington on September 11, 2021.

The Guardian reported that Timmy Teepell, Thomas Teepell, America Next, and Hawley's office all left requests for comment unanswered. Dashti and America Next also did not respond to the Michigan Daily's requests. Crucially, no FEC filing or other record examined connects Thomas Teepell to any payment from Breakthrough or America Next.

Why it matters — A viral moment that appeared to be a spontaneous citizen challenge to a Senate candidate is now linked, through FEC filings and group chat messages, to a coordinated, funded opposition network — raising questions about the line between organic political speech and paid influence operations.

Reported by theguardian.com, rawstory.com, yahoo.com, michigandaily.com