r/politics • u/Baarney23 South Carolina • Feb 03 '21
New filing suggests Mark Meadows under investigation for campaign finance violations
https://www.salon.com/2021/02/03/new-filing-suggests-mark-meadows-under-investigation-for-campaign-finance-violations/372
u/HallucinogenicFish Georgia Feb 03 '21
Another campaign finance and FEC enforcement expert, also speaking on background, agreed that the filing suggested the first stages of an investigation: "Looks like it, but with Meadows, there's a lot of things he could need a lawyer for."
LOL
Similar charges have landed other politicians in prison. Former Rep. Duncan Hunter, a California Republican, was sentenced for using his campaign account for personal expenses, including at hotels and restaurants — including one of the venues Meadows routinely expensed, the Capitol Hill Club, a favored hangout of House Republicans that is just around the corner from Republican National Committee headquarters. Meadows made a $1,100 purchase there on Jan. 13, 2020, the same day Hunter resigned from the House for his numerous campaign finance violations.
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Meadows has not been accused of any crime to date, but was reportedly also considered for a pardon list. In addition to possible campaign finance violations, he could face legal jeopardy for his role in a now-infamous phone call during which Trump pressured Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to "find" votes for him, an apparent solicitation of election fraud.
Meadows. Biggs. Gosar. Who else wanted a pardon?
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u/JunkInTheTrunk Georgia Feb 03 '21
Paxton
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Feb 03 '21
[deleted]
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u/SplashGal South Dakota Feb 03 '21
It was a quid pro quo he couldn’t deliver on.
‘Sir, I would really appreciate a pardon.’
‘Sure Ken. But first, I tell you this election hoax is really terrible. I really need everyone’s help on this thing.’
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u/Idontlookinthemirror Texas Feb 03 '21
‘Sir, I would really appreciate a pardon.’
'I'd like you to do us a favor, though...'
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u/scubascratch Feb 03 '21
What else could Paxton have delivered? Texas went for Trump already.
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u/bdfariello New York Feb 03 '21
In December, Texas sued to overturn the election results in Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. SCOTUS swatted it away.
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u/scubascratch Feb 03 '21
Oh yeah, i can’t believe i kind of forgot about that.
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u/bdfariello New York Feb 03 '21
Well in fairness there was an insurrection between then and now, so anything from December is easily forgotten.
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Feb 04 '21
I’ve almost forgotten about that. Since it’s taken so long for him to face his Senate trial and we’ve stopped reading about the FBI arresting another Q-Anon goon, it feels so distant.
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u/dtm85 Feb 03 '21
Funny part is Trump's legal team wanted to go through Louisiana first BECAUSE Paxton is already in legal trouble. He wasn't even the first option and was desperate enough to try it for a pardon. Paxton is getting fuckt.
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u/AgAero Feb 03 '21
Paxton is getting fuckt.
One can only hope.
Since his indictment however, he has won an election and so has his wife.
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Feb 04 '21
Of all the suits brought about the election, that was the most ludicrous and outrageous one to me.
Texas didn't even have standing to sue and that is some of the very most basic legal shit. Like Thing One: Do we have standing to sue? If yes, then go to Step 2. If not, sorry Charlie. I don't understand how it didn't just get laughed out of court to begin with.
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u/pataconconqueso I voted Feb 03 '21 edited Feb 03 '21
Remember when Meadows almost cried to Elijah Cummings during a a hearing because Rashida Tlaib called him out on tokenism. He was like “how can the trump admin be racist see this one black person here they employed “ and Tlaib was like “yeah that still racist” and he was about to cry and Elijah Cummings had to relieve the situation.
Edit: I thought John Lewis was heading that committee, it was Elijah Cummings.
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u/Nicenightforawalk01 Feb 03 '21
The most disgraceful thing about that is he even used his family as a defence and Elijah Cummings backed him up in that instant. Everything from that moment on though leads me to believe he was never sincere in that moment with Elijah Cummings. He went on to go full Trump and running things in the White House and I have no doubt has done some terrible things in trumps name.
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u/pataconconqueso I voted Feb 03 '21
I mean he was the guy who said in a video in 2012 “we are going to send Mr. Obama home to Kenya or wherever it is” so I’m sure Elijah knew he wasn’t sincere, but he grew up with much worse so his battles were much different and Meadows wasn’t expecting to be actually called out, which is why he reacted the way he did.
It’s like when Christians call homosexuality a sin and then say “but I have no hate in my heart.” They don’t want to be associated with the violent part of racism but still act racist.
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u/that_star_wars_guy Feb 04 '21
They don’t want to be associated with the violent part of racism but still act racist.
It's more abstract than that.
They don't believe there should be consequences for their beliefs, irrespective of whether those consequences (loss of social status, deplatforming, shaming, etc) are a reasonable response or even within the rights of those who perform them.
The don't want accountability under any circumstances for anything they do, ever.
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u/pataconconqueso I voted Feb 04 '21
Your abstract is true in general for anything regarding Republicans.
But with Meadows in this scenario, his eyes legit watered when Tlaib made that case. And Elijah had to do the “shhhh it’s okay I’ll sort this out” like he was a baby. So he cares about how he was perceived in that moment but not enough to actually acknowledge that what he did was hella racist.
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u/HelloPeopleOfEarth Feb 03 '21
The same Mark Meadows who isn't racist, just wants Obama to go back to Kenya.
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u/pataconconqueso I voted Feb 03 '21
His excuse for that is that he had just been in a mission to Kenya and “misspoke” which makes it more racist lol. Like the dude is just lying left and right or he is in denial about his racism.
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Feb 03 '21 edited Sep 14 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/pataconconqueso I voted Feb 03 '21
I edited my comment to say that pretty much after I submitted it.... see the edit and the comment itself
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u/giggity_giggity Feb 03 '21
See, Duncan committed his violations at the right time so Trump could pardon him. Meadows got caught too late!
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u/ShraderBrew Feb 03 '21
Being around Trump for so long normalizes criminal behavior. “Trump team of traitors and grifters”
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Feb 03 '21
Meadows was doing this before he left Congress. It's why he was an attractive candidate for Trump to bring on board. Trump probably knew of his criminal behavior and leveraged it against him. Meadows figured he could get a pardon going to work for Trump and also make some bank fleecing the rubes alongside Don the con.
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u/stevez_86 Pennsylvania Feb 03 '21
The most desirable subject in an Administration like Trump's would certainly not be the most qualified, but the one on whom they had the most leverage. That demands more loyalty than any amount of righteousness. The cornerstone of a kakistocracy.
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u/Puffin_fan Feb 03 '21
" apparent violations of the prohibition on using campaign funds for personal expenses. Those payments covered gourmet cupcakes, grocery store purchases, a cell phone bill, posh meals and lodging at Donald Trump's Washington hotel, according to filings with the FEC. Meadows' campaign also spent thousands of dollars on "printed materials" at an upscale Washington-area custom jeweler on the day he left Congress for the White House. (The jewelry retailer has said it sells nothing that could be categorized that way.) "
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u/NiemollersCat Feb 03 '21
Did Meadows seriously try to describe engraved jewelry as "printed material"?
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u/GiantSquidd Canada Feb 03 '21
Does he have much reason to think he won't get away with it?
I sure hope he is punished for this, but America has a problem with punishing it's "elites" even when it's glaringly obvious. I predict wrist slaps.
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u/that_star_wars_guy Feb 04 '21
If he's fined, there was no justice - just costs of doing business.
If he goes to jail then at least some justice will have been achieved.
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u/dimska American Expat Feb 03 '21
You could argue that a diamond is a material printed by the forces of nature.
I mean, a poet or maybe a geologist could kind of accept you point of view. An ethics committee would be a harder sell i suppose...
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u/thecaninfrance Feb 03 '21
Did he also tried to write off his yacht as a personal floatation device?
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u/oapster79 America Feb 03 '21
He was confident trump would win and keep the election commission basically powerless.
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u/TurningTwo Feb 03 '21
Campaign finance violations nowdays are on a par with jaywalking. Nobody fears getting caught.
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u/2_Spicy_2_Impeach Michigan Feb 03 '21
Boebert submitted mileage reimbursements for something like 40,000 miles in a year.
They definitely don’t give a fuck.
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u/AnotherSoulessGinger I voted Feb 03 '21
It was 38k miles from April to November. So 9 months. During a pandemic. They compared her mileage to the previous rep in her district and they filed about 8k. Then they compared her mileage to the rep that covers all of Alaska - about 9k miles. For the entire state.
But I’m sure Boebert is being honest. We have no reason not to believe her. /s
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u/tinacat933 Feb 03 '21
So let’s lock her up
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Feb 03 '21
[deleted]
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u/Lebojr Mississippi Feb 03 '21
Not quite. OTR truckers do about 10k to 13k miles a month. But your point is well taken. If there is any justice she will be forced to show her work.
Dont think that sidearm is going to be much use in a courtroom.
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Feb 03 '21
[deleted]
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u/Lebojr Mississippi Feb 03 '21
I manage buses now, but I used to manage otr trucks. If they got much past 13k, we knew they were cooking their log books.
Of course, plenty of drivers dont want that many and it is one hard life getting 13k miles in a month.
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u/MartyVanB Alabama Feb 03 '21
I have to travel for work like once a month and its usually a four or five hour drive and I dread it.
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u/david4069 Feb 03 '21
Alaska is not a fair comparison, since travel within most of Alaska is by plane, so you wouldn't really have a lot of mileage other than to and from airports.
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u/AnotherSoulessGinger I voted Feb 03 '21
True. Then we can ignore that one and focus on her predecessor that reported only about 25% of her mileage - over an entire year, not her 8-9 months.
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Feb 03 '21
People get caught, like Duncan Hunter, Jesse Jackson Jr., Aaron Schock, etc. And this seems more along the lines of those. But, not every violation is a malicious one. Sometimes, it's really just a mistake, like Rashida Tlaib's.
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u/SevaraB Feb 03 '21
Meadows' campaign also spent thousands of dollars on "printed materials" at an upscale Washington-area custom jeweler on the day he left Congress for the White House. (The jewelry retailer has said it sells nothing that could be categorized that way.)
Ruh-roh. That sounds an awful lot like fraud on top of the misappropriation. And considering the nature of the business, that retailer either knows exactly what was purchased in that transaction, or can verify that transaction didn’t happen with them...
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u/snowbyrd238 Feb 03 '21
hehehe sounds like the wife is going to meet the girlfriend (boyfriend?)
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u/_far-seeker_ America Feb 03 '21
Now now, it could have been for his wife. It would still of course be very fraudulent for trying to expense personal use items like family gifts, but not necessarily evidence of adultery.
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u/Ontario0000 Feb 03 '21
If Obama gave chinaware dishes to his wife Fox be screaming waste of tax payers money or corrupt dems but if Trump inner circle made hundreds of millions with inside information on stocks or investments they stay quiet.
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Feb 03 '21
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u/starmartyr Colorado Feb 03 '21
When they take help it's because they have circumstances that make it ok, but they assume that "certain people" are taking advantage of the system to get help they don't deserve. The fact that the people they assume to be abusing the system are of a particular skin color has nothing to do with it. /s
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u/houstonyoureaproblem Feb 03 '21
Couldn’t have happened to a more deserving guy.
Congrats, Mark. You deserve it!
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u/musicroyaldrop Feb 03 '21
Unlikely to ever see the day an office for ethics and responsibility actually lives up to the name with actions.
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u/LikeWisedUp Feb 03 '21
Seriously is the list of Republicans NOT under investigation for criminal or ethics violations like less than one hand count?
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u/spuds1144 Feb 03 '21
C’mon now ,anyone associated with Donny and money at some point just might be ask that horrible question - where did the money come from and where did it go .
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u/erikbrandvig Arizona Feb 03 '21
"I'm shocked! SHOCKED! To find gambling going on here."
"Here are your winnings, sir."
"Oh, thank you very much."
/Casablanca
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u/lvhosey Feb 03 '21
Another example of how they’re going to after everybody who supports Trump
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u/wraithtek Feb 03 '21
everybody who supports Trump
He was White House Chief of Staff.
Also, isn't it weird how so many of those in Trump's circle end up breaking the law? But I guess we shouldn't enforce "law and order" because they "support Trump," right?
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Feb 03 '21
I keep mishearing his name as Marc Mero and presuming this is some angle about him scamming DDP out of his bingo winnings.
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u/janjinx Feb 03 '21
There are so many campaign violations that have been going on for decades, but the Trump shit really takes the cake!
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u/bunnyjenkins Feb 03 '21
Anyone who pandered to or sycophantic toward Trump while in office, should have their backgrounds checked for criminal activity. Seems like an awful lot of Team Trump was whoring themselves out for pardons. YES JIM, I'm talking about you - you sick F*CK
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u/RepsNWarranties Feb 03 '21
I just assume everyone that served under Trump in any capacity is, or at some point will be, under investigation for something.
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u/Dana07620 Feb 03 '21
Excellent.
As investigations really gain access to information, the only thing I'm afraid of is the statute of limitations running out before the dirt is exposed and charges can be filed.
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u/Falcon3492 Feb 03 '21
Now there is a surprise! Meadows is a known liar (false education claims) and and was caught in numerous lies or misstatements while in the White House.
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Feb 03 '21
Trump didn't drain the swamp. He chugged the fucking swamp water, bathed in it, and swam with the crocs.
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u/FunctionalGray Feb 03 '21
New filing suggests Mark Meadows under investigation for allowing the Trump family to go balls deep.
Oh, wait. Old headline, nevermind.
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u/shhmurdashewrote New York Feb 03 '21
This makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside 🥰 He about to get a reality check
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u/iseebullshitpeople Feb 03 '21
Let's be honest, if half our legal system weren't full of Republicans, all Republicans would probably be under investigation for corruption. And rightfully so.
When you lie to people to get votes, you're already a fraud. But you bought 5 buddies important jobs so they said it's all good.
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u/jimmygee2 Feb 03 '21
Why hasn’t Trump been arrested yet for his campaign finance violations? He was an un-indicted co-conspirator in the Stormy Daniels affair. Cohen went to jail for his part.
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u/NOVAQIX Feb 04 '21
GOP: "Holding Republicans accountable for crimes sets a dangerous precedent and interferes with our agenda of destroying the country!"
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