Sam,
Is the below information accurate?
The publicly available House travel disclosure for Sam Liccardo’s
congressional trip to Israel, the reported value of the trip was
approximately *$12,345.02*.
The sponsor-reported breakdown was:
- Transportation: *$5,598.40*
- Lodging: *$1,696.00*
- Meals: *$1,260.06*
- Other expenses (such as ground transportation, guides, admissions,
etc.): *$3,790.56*
*Total reported value:* *$12,345.02*.
According to the disclosure, these expenses were paid by the *American
Israel Education Foundation (AIEF)*, a nonprofit affiliated with AIPAC that
sponsors educational travel for members of Congress under House ethics
rules.
If you’re interested, I can also summarize *who Liccardo met on the trip,
what sites he visited, and the stated purpose of the travel* from the
official itinerary and ethics filings.
On Sat, Jul 18, 2026 at 2:47 PM Aram James
wrote:
> Sam,
>
> Is the below information correct?
>
> I searched for additional records covering Sam Liccardo’s career before
> and after entering Congress.
>
> Based on the publicly available evidence I could find:
>
> - *There is one publicly documented official trip to Israel.*
> - *The trip was paid for by the American Israel Education Foundation
> (AIEF)*, a nonprofit organization affiliated with AIPAC that sponsors
> educational trips for members of Congress.
>
>
>
> On Sat, Jul 18, 2026 at 11:21 AM Aram James wrote:
>
>> Youre welcome, Sam!! I will get back to you with a more substantive
>> response in the near future. In the meantime, I have a few questions for
>> you below. I look forward to your responses.
>>
>> Peace,
>>
>> Avram Finkelstein aka Aram James
>>
>> **One of your proud Jewish constituents who wants the vile war-crimes
>> state of Israel eliminated.
>>
>> P.S.
>>
>> 1 How many times have you traveled to Israel?
>>
>> 2. If so, under what circumstances?
>>
>> 3. Were your trips to Israel, if you in fact went, paid for by AIPAC
>> money?
>>
>> 4. If not, who paid for your trips?
>>
>> 5. When you were mayor of San Jose or on city council, who paid for your
>> trips to Israel?
>>
>> 6. Have you traveled to Palestine? Gaza? West Bank? Other locations in
>> Palestine?
>>
>> 7. If not, why have you not taken a fact-finding trip to Gaza and the
>> West Bank?
>>
>> 8. Have you publicly called for a one-state solution?
>>
>> 9. Have you publicly condemned Israel 🇮🇱 as a war-crimes genocidal
>> state? If Not, Why Not?
>>
>> 19. Have you publicly called for the elimination of the rogue apartheid
>> state, war-crimes state of Israel? If Not, Why Not, Sam?
>>
>> ****Sam, Im proud of you for your willingness to open up a constructive
>> conversation with me on this critical issue. Look forward to more of the
>> same.
>>
>> Avram “Eliminate The State of Israel Now” Finkelstein
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Sat, Jul 18, 2026 at 8:00 AM Sam Liccardo
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Thanks Aram.
>>> First, you’re incorrect: I’ve never received money directly from AIPAC,
>>> and they’re certainly not giving to me now. They will not accept
>>> contributions for me on their website, unlike hundreds of other members of
>>> Congress. Among the reasons why they won’t ever contribute to me is my
>>> cosponsorship of the “Block the Bombs” bill, and public statements like
>>> this:
>>> https://liccardo.house.gov/massie-amendment
>>>
>>> I’m sure I’ve received contributions from local community residents who
>>> are members of AIPAC, though not nearly as much as my opponent in 2024, and
>>> I’m also confident I received more contributions from members of the Muslim
>>> or Arab-American communities who object to the conduct of the Israeli
>>> leadership. I had to raise $6 million in that race, so the amounts you’re
>>> citing are less than 2% of my raise in that cycle.
>>> In your future missives, I encourage you to present facts more
>>> accurately and with relevant context.
>>> Sam
>>>
>>>
>>> Sam Liccardo
>>> Member of Congress
>>> 16th District of California
>>> (this email is being sent from my private account, and is not official
>>> correspondence)
>>>
>>> On Sat, Jul 18, 2026 at 12:30 AM Aram James wrote:
>>>
>>>> For Sam Liccardo’s successful 2024 House campaign:
>>>>
>>>> - *Direct AIPAC PAC contributions:* *$10,000* (the maximum PAC
>>>> contribution for the primary and general election combined). This would
>>>> appear in FEC filings as a contribution from the AIPAC PAC.
>>>> - *Including AIPAC-affiliated individual donors:* Public campaign
>>>> finance trackers report a total of *about $80,000–$90,000* in
>>>> support associated with AIPAC’s network during the 2023–2024 cycle. This
>>>> larger figure includes donations from individuals identified as part of
>>>> AIPAC’s donor network, not just the PAC itself.
>>>>
>>>> So if someone says “Liccardo took *$10,000 from AIPAC*,” they’re
>>>> referring only to the PAC’s direct contribution. If they cite a figure
>>>> around *$80,000–$90,000*, they’re using a broader methodology that
>>>> includes affiliated individual donors as well.
>>>>
>>>> If you’d like, I can also break down:
>>>>
>>>> - the exact FEC entries for the $10,000,
>>>> - who the major AIPAC-affiliated individual donors were, or
>>>> - how Liccardo compares with other California members of Congress
>>>> on AIPAC-linked fundraising.
>>>>
>>>>