Fox News reported that Texas Democrat James Talarico and Sen. Sherrod Brown headlined a Monday-night fundraiser in Manhattan hosted by jewelry designer Alexis Bittar. Fox News said contribution levels ranged from $500 to $27,000, citing an invitation first referenced by the Washington Free Beacon that also listed actor Robert De Niro among the hosts.
What Fox News reported about the event
According to Fox News, the fundraiser took place Monday evening in New York City and featured Talarico and Brown as headliners. The Washington Free Beacon was cited by Fox News as the outlet that obtained the invitation describing the host committee and contribution tiers.
The host’s past quotes
The source material highlights prior public comments by Alexis Bittar. In a July interview, Bittar described the United States as a “sh–hole.” In an interview with Forbes, he said the American flag had become “a symbol of aggression” during Donald Trump’s political rise. In V Magazine, he said, “I am always intrigued by people who kill and I love to trace their own personal history and the trajectories that led them to become killers.”
Related political context cited in the reports
Fox News previously reported that Talarico called the American flag “a complicated symbol” ahead of Independence Day. The source material also says Bittar co-hosted a fundraiser with Michigan political figure Abdul El-Sayed and appeared in an August Instagram video stating that “the traditional Democrats have one foot in the grave” and “the revolution has begun,” along with a separate social post urging support for “Democrat Socialists.”
