Politics
Maxine Waters Under Fire After Paying Daughter Absurd Amount of Campaign Cash
Rarely is Maxine Waters in the news for things that she has applauded for and her latest scandal only proves that point further…
The California Democrat Congresswoman was recently busted for some fishy campaign finances that are now spurring lots of talk about her ability to hold a position of power.
Waters has reportedly been paying her daughter’s legal firm a whopping $1.2 million over the last decade through campaign funds and she’s been able to do it legally.
By hiring her own daughter as her legal team Maxine Waters has been able to fund her firm by while also paying top dollar for her.
Now some Republicans are trying to close this loophole by making it illegal to contract family members on campaign payrolls.
Congressman Pat Fallon, a Republican from Texas is now introducing that legislation entitled the Family Integrity to Reform Elections Act . The bill aims to prevent loopholes like this from happening which many Democrats have been accused of.
Needless to say, this bill would hold folks like Maxine Waters more accountable for their actions and would ultimately prevent examples of nepotism like this from happening.
“The Family Integrity to Reform Elections (FIRE) Act is a critical step to reducing nepotistic practices in American campaigns. Allowing direct family members to be on the take of campaigns must come to an end. For example, Maxine Waters, the worst perpetrator, has given her daughter over $1.1 million in campaign funds. This is utterly egregious, and I will not stand by as the integrity of our elections is further diminished,” Fallon said to the Daily Caller.
Check out what the Washington Examiner reported on the issue below:
“Waters’ campaign shelled out $8,000 in September to Karen Waters, a surplus to the over $1 million her daughter has raked in from the campaign since 2003, according to Federal Election Commission filings. But scrutiny over lawmakers paying family members with campaign money has heightened as of late, with some Republicans aiming to bar the practice through legislation.”
“The over $1 million given to Karen Waters, including the $8,000, has been for slate-mailer operations. Karen Waters has also been paid for things such as “administrative services,” “fundraising,” and “rally expenses,” according to filings. Waters came under fire a few months ago for paying daughter another $24,000 in campaign cash during the most recent quarter.”
In a press release, Fallon’s staff showed just exactly how the bill would target people like Maxine Waters. Checkout some points that are made in the bill below:
- Prohibiting any campaign funds from going to the candidate’s immediate family and holding the candidate directly responsible for knowingly violating this provision.
- Clarifying the definition of immediate family in the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971.
- Punishing violators with a $100,000 fine or two times the amount paid to the family member — whichever is greater. Violators may face up to 2 years in prison in addition to fines.
The bill currently has many co-sponsors and is expected to gain some steam but will most likely face fierce backlash by some Democrats who oppose it.