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Maxine Waters Hit with FEC Complaint Over Mailer Money
Fox News ^ | 08/01/2018 | Fred Lucas

Posted on 08/02/2018 6:14:05 AM PDT by sevinufnine

Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters, one of the most outspoken members of the anti-Trump ‘resistance’ in Congress, is facing fresh questions about a longstanding controversy regarding how her campaign raises money and how those funds have flowed to her daughter. The congresswoman has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars each election cycle from some of her state’s biggest politicians paying to be listed on her slate mailers—sample ballots traditionally mailed out to about 200,000 voters in Los Angeles highlighting whom she supports.

Since 2004, the campaign in turn reportedly has paid $750,000 to the congresswoman’s daughter, Karen Waters, or her public relations firm Progressive Connections for help producing them. A government watchdog in July filed the first of two complaints with the Federal Election Commission asking for a full audit of the Citizens for Waters campaign.

(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Government; News/Current Events; US: California
KEYWORDS: corruption; mailer; waters
The first complaint alleges Waters broke federal campaign finance law, and also names the California Democratic State Central Committee and Sen. Kamala Harris, a likely 2020 Democratic presidential contender.

The conservative National Legal and Policy Center is still drafting a second broader complaint focusing on the sources of money going to the Waters campaign and flowing to her daughter—and the accuracy of campaign finance reports, said Tom Anderson, director of the group’s government integrity project. Well before her current political fame, though, she mastered this somewhat-rare form of fundraising in slate mailers. California’s top politicians as well as local office-seekers have given far in excess of legal contribution limits to her campaign to be on her slate of endorsed candidates. The campaign then pays Karen Waters and other firms to produce, print and mail the sample ballots. The FEC approved the practice by Waters in 2004.

“Maxine Waters found an old provision and turned it into a cottage industry,” Anderson told Fox News.

However, the FEC complaint filed on July 25 states that the California Democratic party paid $35,000 to the Waters campaign in 2016 to include the endorsement of Harris’ Senate candidacy on the mailer. The FEC complaint, which cited an October campaign finance report, contends a third party is not legally allowed to pay for the mailer of a candidate without a reimbursement under the 2004 FEC advisory opinion.

A separate report shows that the Harris campaign paid $30,000 to the Waters campaign earlier in 2016 for a primary slate mailer, but no subsequent payments.

Neither Waters’ congressional office nor her 2018 campaign responded to phone and email inquiries. Karen Waters also did not respond to phone messages. A California Democratic Party spokesman and Harris’ Senate office did not respond to phone and email inquiries.

The mailers continue to be a lucrative source of funds.

1 posted on 08/02/2018 6:14:05 AM PDT by sevinufnine
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To: sevinufnine

You can’t accuse Maxine of anything. Dat be rayciss.


2 posted on 08/02/2018 6:16:48 AM PDT by shelterguy
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To: sevinufnine

In November, Waters is facing Republican Omar Navarro, 29, a small business owner. The 79-year-old incumbent beat Navarro in 2016 with 76 percent of the vote, and outpaced him again in the June “jungle primary” (in which both parties can run) with 72 percent of the vote.

“She is going to be re-elected no matter what,” Anderson said. “She comes knocking and other politicians in California to say, ‘do you want my endorsement,’ because she knows they don’t want her opposing them.”

Her rising profile in opposing Trump likely gives her more clout, Anderson said.

“If you don’t pay to be on her slate, then maybe you’re one of Trump’s people,” Anderson said. “A local politician, like a judge, does not want to be on her bad side.”


3 posted on 08/02/2018 6:16:51 AM PDT by sevinufnine (.)
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To: sevinufnine

Sounds like Maxine should be impeached.


4 posted on 08/02/2018 6:17:50 AM PDT by Sasparilla ( I'm Not Tired of Winning)
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To: shelterguy

Yup, but can we IMPEACH her? :)


5 posted on 08/02/2018 6:17:55 AM PDT by sevinufnine (.)
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To: Sasparilla

Ah we thinking alike we be!


6 posted on 08/02/2018 6:18:18 AM PDT by sevinufnine (.)
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To: sevinufnine

The countdown to charges of racism begins in 3-2-1.


7 posted on 08/02/2018 6:18:55 AM PDT by certrtwngnut (4- Do something,,,,even if it's wrong.)
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To: sevinufnine

Maxine reminds me of the fat, loud, dirty politician campaigning throughout the movie Oh Brother Where Art Thou, only more corrupt and way more unfortunate-looking.


8 posted on 08/02/2018 6:20:48 AM PDT by sevinufnine (.)
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To: sevinufnine

9 posted on 08/02/2018 6:26:58 AM PDT by sevinufnine (.)
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To: sevinufnine

I’d say Maxine Waters had been hit with a Ugly stick. Cut from the Stupid branch.


10 posted on 08/02/2018 6:30:05 AM PDT by IronJack
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To: sevinufnine

Nothing will come of this. Laws are never enforced against the political elites, especially notorious people like her.


11 posted on 08/02/2018 6:31:30 AM PDT by Starboard
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To: sevinufnine

12 posted on 08/02/2018 6:33:32 AM PDT by conservative98
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To: Starboard

True. The article did mention even a judge doesn’t want to be on her “bad side”. She’s probably call on the masses (thug mobs) to attack him or her.


13 posted on 08/02/2018 6:33:39 AM PDT by sevinufnine (.)
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To: sevinufnine

What’s interesting about the 43rd district, is that it’s around 46-percent Hispanic, and only 26-percent Black. If Navarro could just connect to his core community, and get 60-percent of them to show up and vote Latino...he’d win over Waters.


14 posted on 08/02/2018 6:35:18 AM PDT by pepsionice
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To: pepsionice

“If Navarro could just connect to his core community, and get 60-percent of them to show up and vote Latino...he’d win over Waters.”

Wonder who she’d accuse of being racist in that case?


15 posted on 08/02/2018 6:40:36 AM PDT by sevinufnine (.)
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To: sevinufnine

If that core community would grasp that he’s more likely to support the Latino community....than Maxine, then she’d be stuck on racism suggestions (it’d hurt her campaign).

In recent months, if you look around....various blacks are taking up a stand to be pro-Trump. What you need now is various Latinos to make the shift as well. Go find a Latino version of Diamond and Silk.


16 posted on 08/02/2018 6:47:36 AM PDT by pepsionice
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To: shelterguy
Sen. Kamala Harris, a likely 2020 Democratic presidential contender.

I smell a whitewash coming. Likely an ultra-lib 0bama judge and of course if the FBI gets involved, they have experience covering blatant crimes of dem "contenders".

17 posted on 08/02/2018 6:51:08 AM PDT by The Sons of Liberty ('DEPLORABLE' Charter Member of The Vast Right Wing Conspiracy - and DAMN Proud of it!.)
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To: sevinufnine

Another moron that would’ve been fine if she’d been flying under the radar. Now she’s paying the price for being a play-a. She should be facing penalties for inciting her constituents to commit crimes (specifically, assault, harassment, and stalking). It’s ironic that Maxi-pad Waters, a lawmaker, is utterly unaware of California’s stalking laws, which are among the toughest in the nation. Most states have them now.


18 posted on 08/02/2018 6:53:15 AM PDT by Excuse_My_Bellicosity (Liberalism is a social disease.)
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To: sevinufnine

They better check her freezer for money.


19 posted on 08/02/2018 8:26:55 AM PDT by Vaduz (women and children to be impacIQ of chimpsted the most.)
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