A since-deleted social media post from attorney Kelly Neumann — a top Democratic donor and the financial co-chair to Mallory McMorrow’s U.S. Senate campaign — is facing scrutiny after it appeared to lionize her grandfather, who fought for Nazi Germany during World War II.
The information and a photo of her grandfather, Albert Neumann, was posted to Facebook on Nov. 11, 2024, which is honored as Veterans Day in the U.S. Multiple conservative-leaning outlets reported the existence of the post in January, and Neumann has deleted the post from her social media page.
“Happy Veterans Day to all my family and friends who serve/served! Without you, America would not be here today. Interesting story, I do not talk much about but my Grandfather, Albert Neumann was on the German side in WWI & WWII,” the post read. “He escaped to Brazil with my Father after Germany lost in WWII and then made their way to Detroit where they spoke no English and worked their way up to provide a stable life for their family. My grandfather was one of my best friends.”
Neumann went on to write that “he was one of the first people in my life that accepted me as gay when I was nervous and scared.”
“I’ll never forget him embracing me and loving me for who I am,” Neumann wrote. “His story is a true testament that people can change and love indeed can win.”
A message seeking comment from Neumann was not returned at the time of publication.
Michigan Advance also sought comment from McMorrow’s campaign. Two campaign spokespeople did not respond when asked for a response, and whether Neumann would remain as the campaign’s finance co-chair.
Neumann is a high-powered personal injury and criminal defense attorney based in southeast Michigan and is the principal attorney for her namesake Neumann Law Group.
Federal Election Commission data shows that Neumann personally gave $104,131 to various Michigan candidates for Congress, the Michigan Democratic State Central Committee, ActBlue, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s Fight Like Hell PAC, Mitten PAC, Great Lakes PAC, Michigan Victory Fund, and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
Among her donations were large checks for the campaign of former President Joe Biden, current Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel in his failed 2024 bid for the U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly), and Whitmer’s sister Liz Gereghty, when she was seeking election to a U.S. House district in New York.
Neumann’s most recent contributions to a candidate were to McMorrow, giving a total of $5,000 to her U.S. Senate campaign in November 2025, close to Veterans Day that year.
Michigan campaign finance records also show that Neumann has given generously to the 2022 reelection campaigns of Whitmer for governor, and to Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, now a candidate for governor, giving to Benson’s 2022 reelection bid and her 2026 gubernatorial campaign.
Neumann is also a noted friend of Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, who faced controversy in 2023 after it was alleged that Neumann paid an $8,000 hotel bill during a Caribbean trip, though Nessel refuted the claim, said she paid her own expenses, and stated that Neumann had no business or cases involving her office.
The story of Albert Neumann surfaced in January, more than a year after Kelly Neumann amplified it on her Facebook page, and some Michigan outlets did write about it at the time. The Daily Mail, on March 8, however, ran an update with a claim that Albert Neumann may have been a member of the Schutzstaffel, or the SS, the paramilitary arm of the Nazi Party and the leaders of Adolf Hitler’s secret police, which was primarily tasked with carrying out the mass genocide of Jews during the Holocaust.
Although the Daily Mail spoke with military historians, who analyzed the photo and concluded that Albert Neumann’s uniform bore a resemblance to the SS, it is more likely that Neumann’s grandfather was a high-ranking member of the German Wehrmacht, or its general armed forces.
Albert Neumann’s cap and collar insignia more closely resemble those of commissioned officers in the Wehrmacht, whose caps bore a wreathed crest above the brim, rather than those of SS members, whose brims displayed a Totenkopf skull emblem. Further, the two braided bands on Neumann’s collar indicate that he held one of the ranks designated for commissioned officers.
Either way, the optics for McMorrow’s campaign were less than ideal.
The Advance asked the campaign of U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Birmingham), one of McMorrow’s chief rivals in the Senate race, if she also received backing from Neumann.
Stevens spokesperson Arik Wolk said that Neumann has not directly donated to Stevens’ House campaigns over the years, nor to her ongoing bid for the Senate, and FEC records appear to back up that claim. Neumann did hold a fundraiser for Stevens, but Wolk said the congresswoman has since denounced the post.
“Haley rejects antisemitism in all forms, and has spent her career standing up to and calling out hate,” Wolk said. “Had Haley seen the post celebrating Ms. Neumann’s grandfather’s service to the Nazi military, Ms. Neumann would not have hosted that event.”