Fact Check: Did Rep Dan Goldman say he accepts money from anyone who wants to donate?

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: A video circulating on social media platforms claiming to show New York Democratic Rep Dan Goldman saying that he has no problem taking money from anyone who wants to donate has sparked widespread criticism. Let us analyze the viral video and fact-check the claim.

Claim: Dan Goldman said he has 'no problem taking money from anyone who wants to give it to me'

The video was shared by Brad Lander, who is challenging Goldman for his seat representing New York's 10th Congressional District, with the caption, “Is our quarter-billionaire Congressman who has 'no problem taking money from anyone' really looking out for you?" 

The short clip appears to show Goldman saying, "I do take corporate PAC money, and I have no problem taking money from anyone who wants to give it to me." 

The clip has spread across various social media platforms such as Instagram, Threads, X, TikTok, YouTube, and Bluesky. 

In a video message the next day, Lander claimed that "what Dan Goldman said is he's perfectly fine taking money from anyone." 

Fact Check: Brad Lander clip was deceptively edited, rearranging Dan Goldman's words

However, the clip posted by the ally of Mayor Zohran Mamdani is deceptively edited, rearranging Goldman's words from their June 1 primary debate to distort the meaning of what he said.

In a series of posts on X, Goldman accused his opponent of "lying," sharing a longer clip of his debate comments while blasting Lander's truncated version as "altered," "doctored," and intended "to mislead voters." 

In the unedited video, Goldman can be heard saying, "Well, you are right. I do not take any corporate PAC money in my own campaign account to be used on my own campaign. And you also are correct that I do take corporate PAC money in my leadership PAC. That leadership PAC cannot be used for me. It cannot be used for my campaign."

"It is only used to help my colleagues win back the majority, and I have no problem taking money from anyone who wants to give it to me to help the Democrats take back the majority. That's the only purpose it's used for," he concluded.