College 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 MichiganStudent organization, in a statement to HuffPost as reported by HuffPost
In a statement to HuffPost, the University of Michigan College Republicans said that "Anything that a particular member may have advertised in our group chat does not reflect the values of our organization as a whole" and, according to HuffPost, confirmed that the messages in its chat are genuine. HuffPost reports that the organization "did not in any manner coordinate" with Iman Dashti on the $200 solicitation and cited a chat disclaimer that says the chat should not be used for "advertising or product endorsement purposes". HuffPost also reports that only administrators can now send new messages in the chat.
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."
“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”
Reporting
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
Reporting
About this source
HuffPost's report from the Flint town hall, written by a reporter who covered the event. It quotes El-Sayed's remarks about the group chat, reports that the College Republicans confirmed the messages are genuine while distancing themselves from Dashti, says America Next did not return a request for comment, and says the Rogers campaign had not responded by publication. The article spells Dashti's first name "Imran"; his own X account, The Michigan Daily, Fox News and the Rogers campaign's post use "Iman." The article's subtitle says a conservative PAC "said it would pay for students to travel to the event," while its text attributes the offer to Dashti's message.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
The Michigan Daily had reported the messages on October 2, 2026. At the Flint town hall on October 3, El-Sayed referred to a University of Michigan Republican group chat in which, he said, people are paid $200 to heckle him.
After the quotation
HuffPost published the statement in a report dated the evening of October 3, U.S. Eastern time. The same day the organization replied on X that it "did not orchestrate any of that, nor did the Rogers campaign," which is recorded as a separate statement. America Next and Dashti did not return HuffPost's requests for comment.
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 confirms the messages exist, according to HuffPost, and rejects the idea that the group coordinated or that the messages reflect its values. It does not defend the offer and does not say whether America Next made it. Challenged the characterization fits because it disputes the group's attachment to the offer while accepting that the messages are genuine. The competing labels are Minimizes, because the statement treats the message as one member's advertising, and Mixed or conditional, because it confirms and distances itself at once. We did not use Denied, because the organization does not say the offer did not happen.
- Recorded on
- Published here
More from this case
Read the full caseCollege 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 Michigan
“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.”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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- The Dispute Index
- Title
- College Republicans tell HuffPost that a member's chat advertising "does not reflect the values of our organization as a whole"
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- https://disputeindex.com/events/4527-in-a-statement-to-huffpost-the-university-of
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "College Republicans tell HuffPost that a member's chat advertising "does not reflect the values of our organization as a whole"". First published: 2026-10-04. Last updated: 2026-10-04. https://disputeindex.com/events/4527-in-a-statement-to-huffpost-the-university-of