College Republicans at UMich reply on X to a post about Dashti's September 23 question: "did not orchestrate any of that, nor did the Rogers campaign"
College Republicans at the University of MichiganStudent organization, in a reply from its official X account
Replying on X on October 3, 2026 to a post that expressed disbelief that Iman Dashti was unpaid for his September 23 question and asked the group for comment, the University of Michigan College Republicans wrote that it "did not orchestrate any of that, nor did the Rogers campaign, as he is not on their staff or on our executive board." It added that "That opportunity was presented to Iman following that viral moment and was in no part related to his attendance or actions at the previous event." The reply does not mention America Next or the $200 offer, and it does not say what the opportunity was or who presented it.
Responding to
The University of Michigan College Republicans told HuffPost on October 3, 2026 that it "did not in any manner coordinate" with Iman Dashti on the $200 solicitation, and replied on X the same day, to a post doubting that Dashti was unpaid for his September 23 question, that it "did not orchestrate any of that, nor did the Rogers campaign."
“Our organization did not orchestrate any of that, nor did the Rogers campaign, as he is not on their staff or on our executive board. That opportunity was presented to Iman following that viral moment and was in no part related to his attendance or actions at the previous event. We could care less if you 'believe' it or not, because that is what is true.”
Original post
Where this statement fits
Did a conservative group offer College Republicans $200 each to disrupt Abdul El-Sayed's Flint town hall, as group chat messages suggest?
As of October 4, 2026, The Michigan Daily and HuffPost have reported on GroupMe messages that student Iman Dashti posted on October 1 in the University of Michigan College Republicans' main chat. Screenshots posted on X show Dashti writing that the organization America Next "reached out to me to set this up," offered everyone who came to "show out against Abdul" $100, and agreed to $200 when he asked. The messages invite members to Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed's October 3 town hall in Flint, where Dashti writes the group would "coordinate questions" and "boo him." HuffPost reports the College Republicans confirmed the messages are genuine. The group also told HuffPost that a member's advertising in the chat does not reflect the organization's values and that it "did not in any manner coordinate" with Dashti. America Next has not responded in the reporting we found, and the Rogers campaign had not responded to HuffPost when it published. A heckler was removed from the Flint event, and El-Sayed said that in a University of Michigan Republican group chat "they pay them $200 to do exactly that." As of October 4, 2026, we found no report that anyone was paid.
Source and context
Original post
About this source
The organization's official X account replied to a post from @AverageDems that said, "You expect me to believe @dashti_iman wasn't paid to ask that question, but literally was offering people to get paid to ask a question at another town hall. Any comment, @UMichGOP?" The reply does not mention America Next, the $200 figure or the Flint town hall by name, and it does not say what "that opportunity" was or who presented it.
Before the quotation
An X user, @AverageDems, had written that it was hard to believe Dashti was not paid to ask his September 23 question, given that he was offering others pay to ask questions at another town hall, and asked the College Republicans for comment. The Michigan Daily had reported the group chat messages the previous evening.
After the quotation
The organization also gave HuffPost a statement, recorded separately. The Rogers campaign had not responded to HuffPost's request for comment when it published.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Relative to the proposition that America Next offered College Republicans members $200 each, the organization rejects involvement for itself and for the Rogers campaign but does not deny the offer. It says the opportunity came to Dashti after his September 23 question and was unrelated to that event, without saying what the opportunity was. Challenged the characterization fits because it disputes that the organization or the Rogers campaign was behind the arrangement without disputing the messages or the offer. The closest competing label is Denied, because it flatly denies orchestration by the organization and the campaign, but the proposition at issue is America Next's offer, which the reply does not address. The reply responds to a post about Dashti's September 23 question, so it bears more on the question of Rogers campaign involvement than on the offer itself.
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More from this case
Read the full caseCollege Republicans tell HuffPost that a member's chat advertising "does not reflect the values of our organization as a whole"
College Republicans at the University of Michigan
“Anything that a particular member may have advertised in our group chat does not reflect the values of our organization as a whole ... did not in any manner coordinate ... advertising or product endorsement purposes”Read statement
El-Sayed says that in a University of Michigan Republican group chat "they pay them $200" to heckle him
“In a University of Michigan Republican group chat, they pay them $200 to do exactly that ... They'll pay $200 for someone to waste his money, show up and heckle me ... I'm just saying, you deserve a better social life than that.”Read statement
El-Sayed campaign spokesperson Cole Wozniak asks whether Mike Rogers "has to pay $200 per person" to draw a crowd
“Mike Rogers has to pay $200 per person to get people to show up at an event? ... Yikes. Hundreds of Michiganders show up to every single Abdul town hall for free.”Read statement
Cite this record
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- College Republicans at UMich reply on X to a post about Dashti's September 23 question: "did not orchestrate any of that, nor did the Rogers campaign"
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The Dispute Index. "College Republicans at UMich reply on X to a post about Dashti's September 23 question: "did not orchestrate any of that, nor did the Rogers campaign"". First published: 2026-10-04. Last updated: 2026-10-04. https://disputeindex.com/events/4526-replying-on-x-on-october-3-2026-to