—
Pennsylvania Democrat congressional candidate Janelle Stelson appeared at an event featuring a survivor of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein earlier this month, pledging to confront government corruption as WelcomePAC, a political action committee financially backed by billionaire Reid Hoffman, who has acknowledged visiting Epstein’s private island, has spent more than $100,000 supporting her congressional bid.
Stelson, who is challenging incumbent Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA) in Pennsylvania’s 10th Congressional District, attended the event in Pennsylvania, according to an October 2 report from the Philadelphia Inquirer.
During the event, Stelson said she would “take on the culture of corruption across the government” if elected to Congress.
Her appearance comes as WelcomePAC, a political action committee that focuses its investments on defeating Republican incumbents in congressional districts won by President Donald Trump, has endorsed Stelson and spent more than $100,000 supporting her congressional bid. The organization has also received substantial financial support from Hoffman.
Hoffman, the billionaire co-founder of LinkedIn and a major Democrat donor, has contributed more than $1.8 million to WelcomePAC since 2021, according to the Revolving Door Project.
The financial connection raises questions about the political support benefiting Stelson’s campaign as she publicly addresses issues involving Epstein and government accountability.
Documents released by the Justice Department in January reportedly placed Hoffman at Epstein’s private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as his New Mexico ranch and Manhattan townhouse.
The records included correspondence concerning travel arrangements for a December 2014 visit to Epstein’s private island, Little St. James.
One email from Epstein’s assistant about the itinerary stated, “Reid will take a Virgin America flight … to Fort Lauderdale,” as part of travel arrangements described elsewhere in the documents as a trip to the island.
Additional correspondence released by the Justice Department included a 2014 email in which Hoffman wrote to Epstein, “ice cream. if you have any interest, you should try – – else for the girls.”
The correspondence also contained another message from Hoffman referring to “something that may strike your funny bone for the island.”
Hoffman has acknowledged visiting Epstein’s island and previously described his interactions with the financier as related to fundraising for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
He has also acknowledged plans to stay overnight at Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse in December 2014.
Hoffman told the Wall Street Journal, “It gnaws at me that, by lending my association, I helped his reputation, and thus delayed justice for his survivors.”
“While I relied on MIT’s endorsement, ultimately I made the mistake and I am sorry for my personal misjudgment.”
Hoffman has not been accused of criminal wrongdoing in connection with Epstein.
The billionaire has also provided significant financial support to Democrats in several other congressional and Senate races this election cycle.
During an October 13 Georgia Senate debate, Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA) confronted Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) over Hoffman’s financial support for his campaign and an affiliated PAC. Hoffman contributed $7,000 to Ossoff’s campaign and $1 million to the Ossoff-linked New Engagement PAC. Collins cited Hoffman’s ties to Epstein, including his visit to Epstein’s private island and their correspondence, accusing Ossoff of hypocrisy for denouncing the “Epstein class” while benefiting from Hoffman’s support. Ossoff responded by challenging Collins over congressional votes concerning the release of Epstein-related records but did not directly address Hoffman’s contributions or relationship with Epstein.
In Texas, Hoffman contributed $10 million to Lone Star Rising, a super PAC supporting Democrat Senate nominee James Talarico against Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, according to Breitbart News reporting in July. Hoffman had previously contributed roughly $1.5 million to groups supporting Talarico, bringing his reported financial backing to approximately $11.5 million. Talarico has called for banning super PACs, rejected corporate PAC contributions, and declared that “the Epstein class has no place in Texas.”
Hoffman also contributed $250,000 to Iowa Democrat gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand, prompting criticism from the Iowa Republican Party in February. Iowa GOP spokeswoman Jade Cichy questioned whether Sand would return the contribution, asking, “Will he return the money, or is this who he really answers to? Iowans deserve to know.”
Breitbart News previously reported that Hoffman helped finance E. Jean Carroll’s defamation lawsuit against President Donald Trump through a nonprofit organization he primarily funded and supported progressive nonprofit networks, including the Good Information Foundation, which faced allegations concerning payments offered to social media influencers to produce anti-Trump content.
Stelson’s campaign against Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA) is a rematch of their 2024 congressional race, in which she came within approximately 5,000 votes of defeating the Republican incumbent. Her campaign has targeted Perry’s support for the FairTax Act of 2025, accusing him of backing a “huge new tax that makes everything more expensive and hits working people the hardest.”
The legislation would establish a national sales tax while eliminating federal income, payroll, estate, and gift taxes, dismantling the Internal Revenue Service, and providing a tax rebate for individuals who have a Social Security number and are lawful residents. Stelson’s advertisements emphasize the proposed sales tax without explaining the federal taxes the legislation would eliminate.
Stelson’s campaign also faced questions following the September 27 arrest of Chimaobim Adedayo Igbojekwe, a Nigerian national who reportedly told police he was waiting to distribute Stelson campaign flyers in East Pennsboro Township. Igbojekwe initially faced indecent exposure and disorderly conduct charges, but prosecutors withdrew the indecent exposure charge and one disorderly conduct count before he pleaded guilty to the remaining disorderly conduct charge.
ICE took Igbojekwe into custody on October 1. Stelson’s campaign denied employing him, stating it had never heard of him before his arrest, while attorney Adam Bonin separately stated that he had never worked for the campaign, its vendors, or served as a volunteer. The Associated Press (AP) reported that it remained unclear whether another organization had employed him as a paid canvasser. Citizens for Ethics in Washington subsequently alleged that the Department of Homeland Security violated the Hatch Act by issuing a statement about the incident.
