The fundraiser was held by Pakistani-American businessmen who have donated heavily to the Michigan Democrat
A grinning and gladhanding Abdul El-Sayed attended a swanky fundraiser this month hosted by a Pakistani-American 7-Eleven franchisee whom the Biden administration sued for withholding overtime pay from his employees.
Ali Haider, the president of the Michigan Franchise Owners Association of 7-Eleven, posted videos and photos of the Detroit-area fundraiser earlier this week. They show Haider greeting El-Sayed—Michigan’s Democratic Senate nominee—and the pair embracing outside the venue. Inside the mansion, which features marble floors, chandeliers, and a spiral staircase, Haider is seen introducing El-Sayed to other attendees.
The event took place at the $3 million estate of Asad Malik, a hotel magnate and official with PAKPAC, the largest Pakistani-American political action committee in the country. Malik was sued by a former hotel employee last year who accused him of sexual assault following a Justin Timberlake concert. Malik, who is married, vehemently denied the allegations, and a judge dismissed the case last year in favor of Malik.
El-Sayed’s campaign trail mantra to voters has been “Money out of politics, money in your pocket, and Medicare for all.” He has pledged to bring “dignified, well-paying jobs to Michigan” and called for making companies “accountable to their workers.”
Haider, by contrast, stiffed more than a dozen of his employees—at his four western Michigan 7-Eleven stores—out of overtime pay they were legally due, according to the Department of Labor.
Biden administration acting labor secretary Julie Su sued Haider and his company in September 2023 for bilking 13 employees out of overtime pay. The agency alleged Haider paid employees off the books, in cash, to avoid taxes and “instructed employees to not clock into the timekeeping system even though they were actually working.”
Haider settled with the agency in 2024, agreeing to pay $36,528 in back pay and to beef up record-keeping procedures.
“This case’s quick resolution puts hard-earned wages and damages into the pockets of 13 workers and sends a strong message to business owners that the Department of Labor will not tolerate wage theft and attempts to mask violations of federal wage laws,” a Department of Labor official said after the settlement.
Haider’s shady dealings were no secret before El-Sayed attended the fundraiser. Local media reported on the Labor Department lawsuit at the time, and the case is one of the first search returns for Haider on Google.
Haider, who also serves as the general secretary of the Pakistani Association of Michigan, has contributed $1,900 to El-Sayed’s campaign through July 31, according to campaign disclosures. It is unclear how much money was raised for El-Sayed at the event.
Malik and PAKPAC recently hosted a “Muslims for Abdul” event for El-Sayed, according to social media posts. The event raised $252,000 for El-Sayed, according to one attendee.
Haider and the El-Sayed campaign did not respond to requests for comment.
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