Staff Reports
Maxine Waters, the queen of questionable financial transactions and self-enrichment, has once again found herself in hot water. In the second quarter of 2023, she paid her daughter, Karen Waters, a whopping $8,000 from her campaign funds. This is just the latest installment in a long-standing tradition of funneling money into her family’s pockets.
Since 2003, Waters has shelled out over $1.2 million to Karen for various dubious services like “slate mailer services,” “administrative services,” “fundraising,” and “rally expenses.” Now, I don’t know about you, but I can’t imagine what kind of magical services Karen provides that warrant such exorbitant payments. It seems like Waters is using her campaign as her own personal piggy bank.
.@RepMaxineWaters in the second quarter of 2023 continued her long-held practice of paying her daughter with funds from her campaign, which steered thousands of dollars to Karen Waters, campaign finance disclosures show.https://t.co/PqFAgYmmAQ
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) July 26, 2023
Now, technically, it’s not against the law to pay family members with campaign funds if they actually perform the services. But, let’s be honest, ethics experts generally frown upon this kind of behavior. And rightly so! It’s just plain wrong to use your campaign funds to line your family’s pockets. But I guess Waters missed that memo.
To add insult to injury, Waters seems to have a long history of shady dealings. From being the only federal politician in California to use slate mailings during the 2020 general election to paying her daughter a hefty $88,500 as a “slate mailer management fee” in 2022, Waters has been pushing the limits of what’s acceptable for years.
And let’s not forget the incident back in 2010 when Waters was charged by the House Ethics Committee for using her position to benefit her husband’s bank. While she was eventually cleared, her chief of staff was found to have violated standards of conduct. It seems like Waters and ethics have never really been on the best of terms.
It’s clear that there is a serious lack of oversight when it comes to politicians enriching themselves and their families. Thankfully, Rep. Troy Nehls recognizes this and has taken action. He co-sponsored the FIRE Act, which aims to prevent lawmakers from using campaign funds to pay family members. It’s about time someone stood up to these corrupt practices.
But Maxine Waters isn’t the only one facing scrutiny for her financial shenanigans. Rep. Cori Bush, a member of the infamous “Squad,” also came under fire for payments to her security professional husband after their private wedding ceremony earlier this year. It seems like there’s a pattern among these self-proclaimed champions of the people.
Clearly, we need legislation to put an end to these questionable payments. The current gray area leaves ample room for fraud and corruption. It’s high time we hold these politicians accountable and ensure that they can’t continue to exploit the system for their personal gain. But let’s face it, as long as it’s not explicitly illegal, politicians will find ways to bend the rules and pad their own pockets. It’s time for a change. It’s time for true accountability.
