Another GOP Politician Busted In Alleged Campaign Fund Theft

Another GOP Politician Busted In Alleged Campaign Fund Theft

Reprinted with permission from Shareblue.

On the heels of Rep. Duncan Hunter’s (R-CA) indictment on charges he stole campaign money to fund personal luxuries, yet another GOP congressman stands accused of ripping off donors as well.

Rep. John Culberson (R-TX) is the subject of complaints to the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) questioning almost $50,000 in campaign spending on items like civil war memorabilia, coins, and other collectibles.

According to the Houston Chronicle, the complaint says Culberson spent the funds on items reported as “books,” “research materials,” and “gifts” that were in reality antiques, military collectibles, Civil War memorabilia, and even “a $309 purchase at the Black Hills Institute, which sells and rents fossils.”

“It is very unlikely that a congressional campaign committee needs to buy or rent fossils to win a federal election,” the complaint reportedly said.

Culberson’s campaign says the spending was legitimate, and the purchase from the fossil company, in particular, was to help him “understand climate science,” which Culberson does not understand. He rejects the overwhelming scientific consensus on global warming.

Earlier this month, Rep. Chris Collins (R-NY) was indicted for insider trading after he passed private information to his son to make stock trades of Innate Immunotherapeutics. Culberson was an investor in Innate Immunotherapeutics, and sold all of his shares 10 days before Collins tipped off his son, but Culberson claimed he’d heard about the stock from a newspaper article, not from Collins.

The complaint against Culberson comes hot on the heels of Rep. Duncan Hunter’s (R-CA) indictment for stealing more than a quarter of a million dollars in campaign cash for personal expenditures, including a plane ticket for a pet rabbit.

All three of these men were supporters of Trump. Collins and Hunter were the first two members of Congress to endorse Trump, while Culberson endorsed Trump after the convention, and has since voted with Trump 97.8 percent of the time.

But with Trump abusing his office to enrich himself since day one, it’s little wonder that congressmen like these feel emboldened to steal from their donors.

 

Start your day with National Memo Newsletter

Know first.

The opinions that matter. Delivered to your inbox every morning

How A Stuttering President Confronts A Right-Wing Bully

Donald Trump mocks Joe Biden’s stutter,” the headlines blare, and I am confronted (again) with (more) proof that the presumptive Republican presidential nominee hates people like me.

Keep reading...Show less
Trump at Trump Tower

Former President Donald Trump at Trump Tower in Manhattan

NEW YORK, March 25 (Reuters) - Donald Trump faces a Monday deadline to post a bond to cover a $454 million civil fraud judgment or face the risk of New York state seizing some of his marquee properties.Trump, seeking to regain the presidency this year, must either pay the money out of his own pocket or post a bond while he appeals Justice Arthur Engoron's February 16 judgment against him for manipulating his net worth and his family real estate company's property values to dupe lenders and insurers.

Keep reading...Show less
{{ post.roar_specific_data.api_data.analytics }}