It looks like Dan Osborn – the "independent" Nebraska Senate candidate who looks, acts, talks, and fundraises like a Democrat – has a problem telling the truth about more than just his party affiliation, at least according to a new report from the Washington Free Beacon.
Osborn, who's taking on incumbent Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts, boasted last month that he wouldn't take money from artificial-intelligence companies. He was quite smug about the whole thing.
"Pete Ricketts takes MASSIVE donations from AI companies," Osborn declared at a September 24 press conference outside the U.S. Capitol. "I don't and never will."
Pete Ricketts takes MASSIVE donations from AI companies. I don’t and never will. https://t.co/Al89NhOahX
— Dan Osborn (@osbornforne) September 26, 2026
Osborn proceeded to accuse Ricketts of taking "massive donations from AI donors like Anthropic's super PAC" while at the same time attacking the AI industry as being a threat to jobs and local communities.
Dan Osborn really wants Nebraska voters to think he's an everyman. Put a pin in that hilarious thought, we'll revisit it in just a second.
Since vowing just weeks ago that he wouldn't take money from AI companies, Osborn has kept on hammering that same theme. In a recent campaign ad, he accused both parties of being bought by big-tech billionaires before declaring, "But I'm an independent; they can't buy me."
Strong words from this non-partisan candidate, right?
Here's where the needle scratch comes in – just hours before he made those comments about never taking AI money, Osborn had attended a private Washington, D.C., fundraiser reportedly co-hosted by a lobbyist for Anthropic. You know, the AI company.
NEW: On Sept. 23, Nebraska 'independent' sen candidate Dan Osborn was thrown a private DC fundraiser co-hosted by an Anthropic lobbyist. The very next day, Sept. 24, Osborn publicly declared he can't be bought and will "never" accept AI contributions. https://t.co/R0O0lRFuHq
— Andrew Kerr (@AndrewKerrNC) October 23, 2026
According to the Free Beacon, the host committee for the September 23 included Amy Tejral, a partner at Avenue Solutions whose job it is to lobby Congress on Anthropic's behalf on issues involving the safety, development, and use of artificial intelligence. The event's ActBlue page offered attendees the chance to become an Osborn "champion" by contributing as much as $8,500.
And that's not all. The committee for the fundraiser also included Barry LaSala and Bill Ghent, both of whom have lobbied Congress for AI company DataRobot on issues involving artificial intelligence and algorithm bias.
Oh.
To be clear, there's no evidence that Anthropic or DataRobot have stroked checks for Osborn, but he'll happily cozy up to those who've made a mint off AI.
And, boy, wasn't that timing something else? Disavowing AI money while simultaneously cashing checks and swelling his campaign coffers from inside operators in that very industry?
“AI companies can’t buy me,” Osborn says. But, apparently their lobbyists can still help throw him a fundraiser.
The guy is a phony and a charlatan. And he's shown time and again that he's got the right DNA to feel right at home in The Swamp.
Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
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