No matter how much the Democrats scream, emote, accuse, and pontificate, it’s all about the money. It’s always all about the money. That goes for a number of Republicans as well. The idea, of course, is to keep you engaged and enraged to the point that you don’t notice all of the cash being moved, pocketed, and spent.
California Democrat Rep. Maxine Waters, who has long been known for being confrontational and vocal and for not quite tacitly encouraging violence against conservatives, is back in the spotlight for money matters. The current issue revolves around money paid to the Waters campaign for “slate mailers.” These are those things that arrive in your mailbox around election time. They are usually a single page and provide lists of candidates and/or issues, along with suggestions about how you should cast your ballot. They have traditionally been popular in Oregon and California, but other states use them too. While they are common for local races, Waters is unique in that she sends out slate mailers as a congresswoman.
The FEC discovered that during the 2022 election cycle, between Jan. 2021 and Dec. 2022, Waters funneled $192,300 to her daughter Karen to handle her slate mailer campaign. Other campaigns would pay Waters’ campaign for a slot on the mailer. The mailers then went out to the constituents in Waters’ district.
According to Fox News, in 2010, when Kamala Harris ran for the office of attorney general, her campaign paid Waters $33,000 for space on a mailer. The campaign also ponied up $30,000 during Harris’ 2016 Senate run. Harris is not alone. Gavin Newsom gave Waters $45,000 while stumping for the lieutenant governor’s spot. Between her 2010 campaign and another contribution in 2018, Barbara Boxer handed over a combined $33,000. George Gascon spent $36,500 of his George Soros money on Waters’ slate mailers in the 2010 election.
Related: Rep. Maxine Waters Will Not Subpoena Democrat Mega-Donor Sam Bankman-Fried to Testify in FTX Scandal
This is not the first time Waters has engaged in this practice. She has been doing so since 2004 with the approval of the FEC, and in the intervening years, Waters’ daughter has picked up over $1.2 million from the campaign. Critics have called the practice deceptive and made allegations of nepotism. Speaking of nepotism, the Daily Mail notes that Waters’ son, Edward Jr., has also made money from the slate mailer campaign and has worked as a “consultant” on campaigns that Waters supported.
Sketchy? Yes. Illegal? No. There is no law against hiring family members to work on campaigns, and as mentioned above, Waters got the go-ahead nod from the FEC. But it is not a good look for the Democrats or for Waters, whose family seems to be profiting nicely from it. This may be why Waters is so prone to tantrums, accusations, and veiled prompts for acts of aggression. She would just as soon everyone looked the other way. Often, the loudest voice belongs to someone with the most to hide.
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