Cori Bush Campaign Paid Consultant Linked To Activist Named In Tlaib Report Amid Comeback Bid

Federal Election Commission filings show Cori Bush’s campaign reported two disbursements on Dec. 5 totaling $23,761 to a firm listed as "Unbought Power," both described as "Fundraising Consulting." The filings and related public records tie the firm to activist Rasha Mubarak, who founded Unbought Power in 2020.

Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., delivers her concession speech during a primary election watch party on Aug. 6, 2024 in St Louis, Missouri.(Getty Images)

Fox News Digital noted that the FEC listing gives the same P.O. box for Unbought Power that the Bush campaign uses, a detail that prompted follow-up inquiries. The Bush campaign and Rasha Mubarak did not respond to requests for comment about whether the payments were to the same entity or about the nature of the work performed.

Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., speak at a press conference on the Israel-Hamas war outside of the U.S. Capitol on December 07, 2023 in Washington, DC.

Allegations And Context From Recent Report

The Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP) included Mubarak and Unbought Power in a report examining Rep. Rashida Tlaib's connections to controversial organizations. The report highlights Mubarak's past affiliations and public roles, citing links or involvement with organizations such as the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR), and the Alliance for Global Justice (AFGJ). ISGAP also referenced investigations into connections between AFGJ and Samidoun, an organization that has faced bans and scrutiny in multiple countries.

Members of the far-left "Squad" from left to right: Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., Cori Bush, D-Mo., Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., and Ilhan Omar, D-Minn.

Caitlin Sutherland, executive director of Americans for Public Trust, said: "Personnel is policy. Hiring a consultant with such a well-documented track record of anti-American and antisemitic ideas tells us everything we need to know about Cori Bush’s priorities."

Mubarak's Activism And Past Work

Mubarak, a Palestinian American organizer active in grassroots work for more than 15 years, has publicly advocated for police funding changes — including tweets calling to "defund" or "abolish" the police — and has promoted or participated in events with groups such as Dream Defenders. She has also posted strongly worded criticisms of Israel's policies, describing them in terms used in her public tweets and posts.

Public records and prior reporting show that Tlaib’s campaign and associated PAC previously paid Unbought Power for fundraising consulting—reporting roughly $204,000 across multiple transactions. Mubarak reportedly served as treasurer of Tlaib’s leadership PAC, which in turn made small donations to Bush's earlier campaigns. The Squad Victory Fund, a joint fundraising committee that supports progressive House members, paid Unbought Power more than $85,000 between 2022 and 2023 and later transferred nearly $60,000 to Bush’s campaign between 2022 and 2024.

Political Backdrop And Responses

Bush has faced criticism for highlighting gaps in congressional transit funding while she previously voted against the 2021 bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. At the time, she and several progressive colleagues opposed the bill because they wanted it coupled with larger priorities such as universal pre-K, expanded health programs, affordable housing, green infrastructure, and other progressive initiatives.

Campaign Spokesperson: "Universal pre-K, expanded Medicare, the Child Tax Credit, and lower prescription drug prices were all policies that Missouri’s 1st District sent the Congresswoman to DC to win. Her vote was because the infrastructure bill was uncoupled from Build Back Better, which contained those policies. With so much on the line for St. Louis and the nation, the Congresswoman wanted to fight for more, not settle for less."

Documentation of campaign disbursements is a matter of public record; the reported payments and the ISGAP report have raised new questions that have not been addressed publicly by Bush’s campaign or by Mubarak. Readers should note that allegations in third-party reports and advocacy statements reflect the perspectives and findings of those organizations and commentators.