Tag: campaign finance

Jon Ossoff silent on SPLC indictment after taking more than $700K from affiliate of indicted group

Federal prosecutors’ stunning indictment of a left-wing activist group for alleged financial crimes is reverberating in Georgia’s 2026 Senate race, with Republicans targeting Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., for his past ties to the organization. 

The Department of Justice brought criminal charges against the Southern Poverty Law Center in April for allegedly defrauding its donors by secretly transferring money to extremist groups with the goal of infiltrating and monitoring their activities. 

Ossoff, the most vulnerable Senate Democrat running for re-election in 2026, is endorsed by the law center’s 501(c)(4) arm. The group contributed more than $700,000 to his campaign account in 2020, according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings.

The Georgia Democrat has also praised the group’s purported efforts to combat racism.

“Thank you for decades of work defending civil rights in the United States,” Ossoff said in a video celebrating the nonprofit group’s 50th anniversary in November 2021.

“I’m deeply concerned, like many of you, by the rising level of polarization, hatred and mistrust in our society,” he added. “We must recommit to the path of love, tolerance and peaceful coexistence if we are to flourish as a nation and as a world.”

During that time, federal prosecutors allege that instead of combating extremism, the SPLC was providing financial support to organizations that spread it.

Between 2014 and 2023, the Alabama-based organization paid more than $3 million to informants belonging to the United Klans of America, the Aryan Nation and other neo-Nazi groups, according to the 11-count indictment, which included charges of bank fraud, wire fraud and money laundering. The group allegedly concealed the payments by setting up bank accounts under fictitious names and did not inform federal law enforcement about their activities.

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It Looks Like the Southern Poverty Law Center Wasn’t Only Funding White Supremacists

Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) is already in a precarious position when it comes to keeping his seat in the upcoming midterm elections. His relationship with the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) might make things even worse.

Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings revealed that the SPLC contributed over $700,000 to his campaign during the 2020 race, according to Fox News. Oddly enough, this places Ossoff in the same category as the Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacist groups whose leaders have received oodles of cash from the organization.

Ossoff and the SPLC have a longstanding relationship. The organization was so zealous in their advocacy for the center that it even dedicated a page on its website to him.

The Justice Department brought an 11-count indictment against the Southern Poverty Law Center in April, alleging that it secretly used donor money to pay informants inside potentially violent extremist organizations. The DOJ claims the organization concealed those payments and lied to financial institutions.

The organization faces charges of wire fraud, making false statements to a federally insured bank, and conspiracy to commit concealment money laundering. Investigators claim the group opened bank accounts in the names of “fictitious entities” so it could pay the informants without anyone knowing where the money was really coming from.

The SPLC then allegedly used the accounts to route more than $3 million in contributions to informants between 2014 and 2023 who occupied leadership roles in groups that the SPLC publicly labeled as dangerous hate groups.

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Fugees Rapper Pras Reports to Prison to Begin 14-Year Sentence for Illegal Foreign Obama Donations

Grammy-winning rapper Prakazrel “Pras” Michel of the Fugees has reported to federal prison to begin a 14-year sentence following a conviction over illegally funneling millions of dollars in foreign contributions to former President Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign.

Michel reported to prison Thursday, a spokesperson said, with federal records listing him as an inmate at a low-security correctional institution in Arizona.

“Today is a painful day for Pras, for his family, and for everyone who believes in a fair system of justice. Pras honors the legal process as he reports to begin his sentence,” said Erica Dumas, a spokesperson for Michel, adding that his legal team is still contesting his charges.

“This chapter is difficult, but it is not his final one,” Dumas said.

Michel, 53, was convicted in 2023 on 10 counts, including conspiracy and acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government. He was sentenced late last year.

Prosecutors said he obtained over $120 million from Malaysian billionaire Low Taek Jho — also known as Jho Low — and steered some of that money through straw donors to Obama’s campaign. Michel also tried to end a U.S. Justice Department investigation of Low, tampered with two witnesses and perjured himself at trial, prosecutors said. Low has maintained his innocence.

Michel was a founding member of the Fugees along with childhood friends Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean, with the group going on to win two Grammy Awards and selling tens of millions of albums.

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MORE TROUBLE FOR SWALWELL: Allegedly Used Campaign Cash to Pay Lawyer Representing Him Against Sexual Misconduct Accusations

The hits just keep coming for disgraced former Congressman Eric Swalwell.

In addition to facing multiple accusations of sexual misconduct and even rape, he is now facing allegations that he used campaign cash to pay a lawyer representing him in these matters. He also reportedly used campaign cash to pay babysitters.

And we’re not talking about small amounts here. We’re talking about tens of thousands of dollars.

The Washington Free Beacon reports:

Eric Swalwell Campaign Paid $40K to Lawyer Representing Him Against Sexual Misconduct Allegations, $22K for Babysitters

Disgraced former Rep. Eric Swalwell (D., Calif.) dipped into his gubernatorial campaign’s war chest to pay an attorney representing him against sexual assault charges and for babysitters for his three children, records show.

According to campaign filings released Thursday, Swalwell’s campaign paid $40,000 to Sara Azari, a veteran criminal defense attorney who specializes in “cases where liberty, livelihood, and reputation are at stake.” It is Swalwell’s first payment to Azari; he has typically relied on other lawyers. Azari is representing the former congressman against allegations that he sexually assaulted a former congressional aide and harassed staffers.

The Manhattan district attorney’s office opened an investigation on April 11 after a former aide alleged that Swalwell sexually assaulted her while she was inebriated after a political event in 2024. The same woman accused Swalwell of raping her while she was drunk in 2019. Swalwell suspended his gubernatorial campaign the same day and resigned from Congress on April 14.

In a statement before the ex-congressman’s resignation, Azari said Swalwell “categorically” denied the assault and harassment allegations, calling them a “calculated and transparent political hit job.” Azari said Swalwell would “pursue every available legal remedy” against his accusers.

Swalwell, who was the frontrunner in the governor’s race before the scandal, also relied heavily on campaign funds to take care of his three children. According to campaign disclosures, Team Swalwell paid around $22,549 in 12 transactions to Swalwell’s longtime nanny, Amanda Barbosa, between January 1 and April 18.

At this point, he will be lucky to stay out of prison.

By the way, have you noticed that the liberal media is no longer interested in talking about Swalwell anymore?

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Billionaire Steyer’s spending binge dwarfs rival campaigns in California governor’s race

In the wide-open race for California governor, billionaire Tom Steyer is on a spending binge.

The hedge fund manager-turned-liberal activist is using his personal fortune to saturate TV screens and mobile phones with advertising, while his competitors accuse him of trying to use his vast wealth to buy the state’s most powerful job.

Steyer’s ads — in which he promises to bring down household costs or rails against federal immigration raids — appear inescapable at times in heavily Democratic Los Angeles, the state’s largest media market. Data compiled by advertising tracker AdImpact show Steyer has spent or booked over $115 million in ads for broadcast TV, cable and radio — nearly 30 times the amount of his nearest Democratic rival.

If he makes it through the June 2 primary election, Steyer could easily eclipse the 2010 record set by Republican Meg Whitman, who spent $178.5 million in a losing bid for governor, much of it her own money. At the time, it was the costliest campaign for statewide office in the nation’s history.

Even when ad buys from all his major competitors are combined, along with ad purchases by independent committees supporting candidates, Steyer is outspending the field by tens of millions of dollars.

“Billionaire money is flooding our state in an attempt to buy this election,” former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter, one of Steyer’s chief rivals, warned her supporters this month.

Mail-in ballots are set to go out to voters next month. Steyer is among a crowd of candidates hoping to seize a spotlight after former Democratic U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell’s dramatic departure from the race following sexual assault allegations that he denies.

But while Steyer has ticked up in polling amid his spending splurge, he has not broken away from the field, leaving some wondering if he’s getting value for his dollars.

“If your first round of ads doesn’t move you dramatically (in the polls), the third, fourth, fifth, six, seventh and eighth rounds won’t either,” said veteran Democratic strategist Bill Carrick, who for years advised the late Democratic U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein. “There is something inherently holding Steyer back.”

In recent prior campaigns for governor, at this stage a leading candidate was taking control of the race. This year, voters appear to be shrugging at a contest that lacks a star candidate among seven leading Democrats and two Republicans.

“Somehow the campaign is frozen,” Carrick added.

History shows that money doesn’t always translate into votes.

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Five ActBlue Employees Plead the Fifth on 146 Questions During House Judiciary Depositions – EVERY Member of Legal & Compliance Was Fired, Quit, or on Extended Leave From Platform in 2025

On Monday, The Gateway Pundit reported that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued ActBlue, the Democrat fundraising platform, for “deceiving Americans by lying about its donation processes that allow fraudulent and foreign donations.” This was following an internal investigation that “prove[d] that ActBlue continues to process gift card donations” without proving identification of the donor.

The same day, the House Judiciary Committee deposed five employees after subpoenas were issued to two employees in June 2025 by Reps. Jim Jordan, Bryan Steil, and James Comer. The recent depositions included “top staff responsible for fraud prevention” and sought to “learn more about the platform’s acceptance of illegal donations – and the subsequent cover-up,” according to a post on X by the House Judiciary GOP.

The House Judiciary GOP account states that the five employees were asked 146 questions and that the ActBlue employees “refused to answer a single one, invoking their Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination every time.”

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BUSTED: Gavin Newsom’s New Book is a Best Seller Because His Own Political Action Committee Spent $1.5 Million Buying Thousands of Copies

Everything about California Governor Gavin Newsom is fake. Even the numbers on his book sales.

His new book is being touted by his allies as a best seller, but the main reason it’s selling so well is because his own political action committee has spent upwards of $1.5 million buying thousands of copies of it.

That’s one way to get on the New York Times best seller list. It’s not honest, but it’ll probably work.

Not a single thing about this man is genuine.

FOX News reports:

Newsom PAC bought thousands of memoir copies about his hardships, juicing sales

Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s political action committee spent more than $1.5 million buying thousands of copies of his new memoir — accounting for about two-thirds of all copies sold nationwide — according to campaign finance filings.

The PAC spending helped propel Newsom’s memoir, “Young Man in a Hurry,” onto the New York Times bestseller list and is raising new scrutiny as his national profile builds ahead of a possible 2028 presidential run.

In November, the Campaign for Democracy Committee launched a book campaign asking donors to contribute any amount to the PAC to receive the memoir when it was released on Feb. 24. Newsom spokesperson Nathan Click told the New York Times that the PAC bought about 67,000 copies—representing a substantial portion of the 97,400 total sold.

“We were thrilled with the response,” Click told the New York Times. “Our goal was to deepen the relationship between him and the millions of folks who have already expressed support for Governor Newsom’s work.”

The PAC made two payments totaling over $1.5 million to Porchlight Book Company, according to a FEC filing posted on Wednesday and reviewed by Fox News Digital.

Newsom probably sees nothing wrong with this. He is a member of the same party that busses in paid supporters for rallies and [rotests, after all.

Will Democrats really nominate this faker in 2028?

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Here’s Who Donated to Eric Swalwell’s Now-Dead CA Gubernatorial Campaign

Former Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) had a long list of top donors for his unsuccessful gubernatorial campaign, which was derailed by multiple women’s allegations of rape and sexual misconduct. In less than three days, his career was essentially over. The allegations intensified last weekend, when on Sunday, he announced his withdrawal from the gubernatorial race, in which he was the frontrunner. By Tuesday, he officially resigned, just hours after another woman came forward claiming that the former congressman had raped her in 2018.

The New York Post compiled a list of donors to this man, whose known creepiness was widely recognized in Democratic and journalistic circles. He was an attack dog against the Trump administration and served a purpose that earned him protection. But once he ran for office and faced scrutiny, that protection evaporated, especially when rape is involved.

From Hollywood heavyweights to corporate titans and everyday Californians, Eric Swalwell’s donor list spans the elite to average joes.

The California Post reviewed public records and identified more than 1,700 contributors to the disgraced politician’s campaign, with donations ranging from $100 to more than $78,000.

[…]

The Post’s review of Swalwell’s campaign records shows that the ex-congressman was able to raise more than $7.3 million from about 1,700 different contributors.

Swalwell courted big money from Hollywood A-listers and special interests to bankroll his campaign, but his fake squeaky clean image also managed to fool hundreds of working-class people who forked over their hard-earned money.

[…]

Swalwell’s most prominent backers included Hollywood A-listers like Robert De Niro and Jon Hamm — both of whom gave $10,000 — while Sean Penn gave $15,000. Others who plunked down thousands of dollars believing the hype included the late actor and director Rob Reiner ($10K), actors Jon Cryer ($10K) and Ed Helms ($5K), and Bryan Lourd, CEO of Creative Artists Agency ($12,500).

[…]

Money also poured in from businessmen such as venture capitalist Bradley Tusk ($39,200) and Jon Henes ($5K), CEO of C Street Advisory Group, while Elizabeth Naftali ($39K) — a Los Angeles philanthropist and major Democratic donor — funded Swalwell’s campaign along with longtime San Francisco attorney and AI advisor Karen Silverman ($10K).

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O’Keefe Media Group: LA Housing Department Financial Officer Admits Witnessing Fraud – Embezzlement Helps Mayor Karen Bass Maintain “Re-Election Funds” 

The O’Keefe Media Group on Tuesday released undercover video of a Finance Development Officer for Los Angeles Housing Department admitting to witnessing multiple instances of fraud.

Donald Byers told the undercover OMG journalist that $10 to $20 million are going into people’s pockets and that homeless developers are embezzling money.

Byers also said that the superiors look the other way to help corrupt Democrat Mayor Karen Bass maintain “re-election funds.”

Per the O’Keefe Media Group:

Donald Byers, a Finance Development Officer from the Los Angeles housing programs, admits on hidden camera that millions of taxpayer money disappear inside the city’s low-income housing system. Byers told our undercover journalist he flagged the fraud internally but was ignored.

“I’ve reported it… nothing happens.”

Accountability is avoided. Despite years-long delays on projects, funding continues to flow even when, by his own admission, officials are failing. Meanwhile, as billions are poured into homelessness programs, the money is “going to people’s pockets.”

Despite years-long project delays, funding continues to flow even as, by his own admission, oversight appears to be failing. After raising red flags, Byers says nothing changed and now he claims, “At this point, I’m just covering myself.”

“I have a couple of developers doing really sketchy stuff,” Donald Byers said.

My project was with a developer called CRCD — Marcella Gardens. We [LA City] can’t figure out where all the money is going… it’s going to people’s pockets,” Donald Byers said.

“If they [LA Housing Department] were to call out the people [Developers] contacting Karen Bass’s office, she might not get enough money for re-election — or for what she needs done,” he said.

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Swalwell’s Campaign Paid for Room at Hotel Where He Allegedly Raped Lonna Drewes – Same Timeframe, Same Address

Murphy’s Law is an adage that basically stipulates “anything that can go wrong will go wrong.”

Soon-to-be former Rep. Eric Swalwell has been living that adage out this week, seeing his once-promising political career hit about six feet below rock bottom.

The progressive Californian both withdrew his nomination for California governor and announced his resignation from Congress this week after a deluge of allegations accusing Swalwell of sexually assaulting young female staffers.

Of note, Swalwell is married and has three children.

But while Swalwell has largely retreated from the public eye — presumably to work on his marriage in private — the public isn’t quite as done with him as he is with them.

In fact, in keeping with the theme of “when it rains, it pours,” gasoline has just been poured on one of those allegations that has torpedoed Swalwell’s career.

According to NBC News, a woman named Lonna Drewes came forward with some disturbingly graphic allegations against Swalwell.

“He raped me, and he choked me. And while he was choking me, I lost consciousness,” Drewes said during a Tuesday news conference.

She added, “I thought I died.”

Drewes claimed that Swalwell offered to help connect her to people who could aid with her software company. In fact, the first two meetings with Swalwell were perfectly pleasant and friendly, before the catastrophic encounter in a West Hollywood hotel.

An attorney for Swalwell has vehemently denied these claims.

“These accusations are false, fabricated and deeply offensive — a calculated and transparent political hit job,” Swalwell’s attorney said.

(Swalwell has hinted that he had failed his wife, but has largely denied allegations of assault or rape.)

But while Swalwell and his team are denying Drewes’ allegation, it might be a little harder to deny the paper trail that internet sleuths have dug up.

Fox News reporter Bill Melugin and California Target Book Research Director Rob Pyers took to X and documented a receipt putting Swalwell at the time and place of the alleged Drewes rape.

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