Representative Seth Moulton (D-MA) has made the decision to return donations from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and will not accept any future contributions, citing a mismatch with AIPAC’s support of the current Israeli government. Meanwhile, he continues his ties with the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), which has faced accusations of advocating for the Iranian regime.
On Wednesday, Moulton stated that he is “returning donations from AIPAC and refusing to accept any donations or assistance from AIPAC.” He pointed out that recent filings with the Federal Election Commission reflect this choice. He affirmed his belief in Israel’s right to exist but expressed opposition to AIPAC’s encouragement of support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration. Moulton emphasized the need for a political resolution in the Gaza Strip that would enable peaceful coexistence for both Israelis and Palestinians.
AIPAC, representing over 5 million pro-Israel Americans, responded shortly thereafter. Moulton claimed on social media that after “years of repeatedly asking for our support,” he had “succumbed to something more extreme than standing guilty and abandoned his friends to grab headlines.” The organization asserted its ongoing mission to strengthen the U.S.-Israel alliance, viewing it as a “strategic relationship greater than any government at any given time in our two countries.”
While Moulton maintains this position, he has made a public break with AIPAC and is working with NIAC Action PAC, linked to the National Iranian American Council. In October 2022, he thanked NIAC Action PAC for its support, stating that both sides “share a commitment to advancing democracy, combating human rights abuses, and standing up for protesters whose voices have been silenced in Iran.” Almost three years later, he appears to have not altered his involvement with this group.
Breitbart News has previously highlighted concerns regarding NIAC’s actions and their alignment with the Iranian regime’s interests. Several Republican senators, including Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas), Mike Braun (R-Indiana), and Ted Cruz (R-Texas), have called for an investigation by the Department of Justice into NIAC and NIAC Action for supposedly violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act by acting as unregistered lobbyists for Tehran. NIAC has rejected these claims, categorizing them as “defamatory.”
In 2002, NIAC and its political branch advocated for policies that aligned with the Iranian government, notably supporting the 2015 nuclear deal and opposing sanctions. Trita Parsi, founder of NIAC, criticized AIPAC for allegedly prioritizing “war over peace” and aligning with “Netanyahu over Obama” during the debates surrounding the Iran deal. He also stated that NIAC “helped keep the regime alive” and does not represent the entire Iranian-American community.
Moulton has also addressed issues regarding anti-Semitism while criticizing President Trump. In April 2025, he mentioned something Harvard University had highlighted about the need for ongoing work against anti-Semitism, positioning government educational mandates as “fundamentally anti-American” and akin to an authoritarian approach. On HBO’s Real Time in May 2025, he condemned violence against Israeli embassy staff as “anti-Semitic terrorism,” argued against chants promoting conflict, and stated that Trump’s rhetoric about violence was unproductive. Furthermore, in December 2023, he asserted that Hamas’s charter calls for the demise of Israel, emphasizing that “Hamas must be eliminated to ensure Israel’s security.”
