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.
