CREW Calls for Federal Criminal Investigation into Christine O’Donnell for Campaign Finance Fraud

[LynneSin]

Source: Business Wire

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed complaints with the Delaware U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Federal Election Commission (FEC) against newly-minted Delaware senatorial candidate Christine O’Donnell (R) for using campaign funds for personal living expenses. By misusing campaign funds, Ms. O’Donnell committed the crime of conversion; by lying about her expenditures on forms she filed with the FEC, she committed false statements; and by failing to include the campaign funds she misappropriated as income, she committed tax evasion.

“Christine O’Donnell is clearly a criminal, and like any crook she should be prosecuted,” said Melanie Sloan, CREW Executive Director. “Ms. O’Donnell has spent years embezzling money from her campaign to cover her personal expenses. Republicans and Democrats don’t agree on much these days, but both sides should agree on one point: thieves belong in jail not the United States Senate.”

CREW’s complaint is based, in part, on the affidavit of former campaign aide David Keegan. Mr. Keegan explained that in 2009, when Ms. O’Donnell was out of money, she paid her landlord, Brent Vasher, two months rent out of her campaign funds. On FEC forms, Ms. O’Donnell called the expenditures “expense reimbursements.” Mr. Keegan also attested that Ms. O’Donnell routinely used campaign funds for meals and gas, and even a bowling outing. This is not surprising given that Ms. O’Donnell has not held a steady job or had a discernable source of income for many years.

“If you need money to pay the rent and eat, you get a job; you don’t start a Senate campaign so unsuspecting donors can support you,” said Sloan.


Read more: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20100920006465/en

---

Screw the Witchcraft and Masturbastion and all that other silly stuff. That isn't why O'Donnell is unqualified to be a US Senator. The fact that she stole campaign donations to pay for personal expensives is an extremely grave reason she is unqualified. I suspect this is why she cancelled those appearances. Clueless voters from (S)Lower Delaware won't ask these kind of questions as long as she says "I'm a good Christian Woman". However the rest of the Country and Delaware will.

[eleny]

1. K&R!

[happygoluckytoyou]

30. DON'T F' WITH HERE DARRIN.... SHE'LL TURN YOU INTO A TOAD... OR A NEWT....

[COLGATE4]

2. FEC really stands for Feckless. I doubt that anything will come

of this (although I'd love to be proved wrong on this!). Neither the FEC or the FCC has ever taken any type of a hard stand against what are blatant campaign violations. Unbelievably, she's liable to be much more severely damaged for her prattle about being a high school witch trainee than for using her campaign funds as a personal piggy bank. Go figure.

[Turborama]

3. Download CREW's Exhibits of Evidence Regarding Christine O'Donnell (3.7 mb) & The letter (1.4 mb)

Here: http://www.citizensforethics.org/crew-calls-for-odonnell-criminal-investigation

[LynneSin]

8. Page #25 she paid herself $200 for what I don't know

But basically she wrote herself a check for $200

[Plucketeer]

31. Now THAT'S interesting!

Maybe she hired herself as a prostitute. That way she could justify touching herself! :crazy:

[Vinca]

4. Masturbation, witchcraft and a perp walk. I love the Tea Party!

:rofl:

[wordpix]

55. they want to play in the big time, let's see how their lawbreaker plays this

:rofl:

[Oceansaway]

5. K&R...n/t

[SemperEadem]

6. BRAVO!

she is a thief and a fraud, just like her idiotic mentor.

[wake.up.america]

7. We need her to run against the democratic candidate - don't we?...

no way for her to be thrown out and replaced - is there?

[LynneSin]

9. both the DEGOP and NRSC would love to put Castle back on the ticket

They were smart enough to know that Castle was a strong contender to take that seat.

But Castle is 74 years old, I could see him saying 'No' to being put back on the ballot.

[NewJeffCT]

24. What are the rules in DE for a situation if she steps down?

And, can they force her out if she doesn't want to go?

[wordpix]

56. ruh roh, we're probably on uncharted ground here

[Ikonoklast]

11. She needs to be wounded.

But it looks like they used a freakin' cannon.


Wait 'til the nice people at the IRS get hold of her.

[HillbillyBob]

12. Yes we do.. they should have come out with this r

right after the deadline for replacing her would be.

[valerief]

10. "Thieves belong in jail, not the US Senate." That made me laugh!!!!

:rofl:

[closeupready]

13. Yeah, because it's such a radical notion of what we know about Congress.

:rofl:

[valerief]

25. Bingo! nt

[HCE SuiGeneris]

40. I'm pretty sure it's the other way around.

:9

[still_one]

14. The problem is if o'donnell drops out, the repuke who lost against her, might run as a write in /nt

[LynneSin]

15. O'Donnell is so fricking delusional that she will not drop out of the race

And Castle is so pissed he probably wouldn't do a write-in campaign.

[jberryhill]

50. No danger of her dropping out

She has no shame.

And no job.

[pnorman]

16. "...failing to include the campaign funds she misappropriated as income, she committed tax evasion"

Conceivably, her contributors might not have objected to it being used for "living expenses" (provided it wasn't for lavish luxuries), but it still appears to be a violation of the law. I myself am not all that outraged. But failing to list it s Income??? WHO does she think she is, Leona Helmslee??? I'll keep a close eye on this.

[Hubert Flottz]

27. Yes but when a republican does it it's not against the law...

Laws are for poor people and democrats to live by.

[Ganja Ninja]

17. Christine O’Donnell - Tea Party Martyr!

Let the paranoid ranting begin.

[florida08]

18. have you seen some of the evidence they provided?

She's got Lukoil, Staples, Verizon Wireless, Shell, Lone Star Steakhouse, Dollar Tree, Citgo, Exxon Mobil, Ruby Tuesday,
Papas Pastry Shop, Target, Fish Market, Hampton Inn, Best Buy, KMart, Purple Parrot Grill, Big Lots, Herself for mileage reimbursement..lol. Wow it's better than an ATM.

[LynneSin]

19. Ironically I took a box of Papa Pastries to the Dem's Wilmington office on 3rd & Union

Which is about 3 blocks south of Papas. They have really great cookies & cakes there. But unlike O'Donnell, I used my own money to pay for the treats.

[florida08]

20. what? you didn't get reimbursed?

Can you imagine how much we the tax payers will have to fund her if she gets in the senate? I knew these tea people didn't really vet their candidates but this is laughable.

[JDPriestly]

53. At least some of these costs are legitimate.

This does not seem like a really strong case to me.

She may have bought office supplies and electronic stuff for her campaign at Staples, Best Buy, KMarta and Big Lots.

As for the food -- could be she took staff to meals or donors for that matter.

Verizon Wireless -- a candidate needs a cell phone.

I'd need to look at the receipts before I could judge the legitimacy of these charges.

[florida08]

63. She paid her rent payments

750/month I believe for her house she sold to her boyfriend who in turn began charging her rent.. that's not campaign related

[SemperEadem]

62. good... a listing of businesses to boycott for supporting that thing

[RufusTFirefly]

21. IOKIYAR n/t

[demi moore]

22. they will like her more

a lying thief.. one of us! one of us!

[NewJeffCT]

23. I hope she lingers on the ticket for at least 6-7 weeks

so the scandal festers & grows while she defiantly refuses to step down...

[tanyev]

44. While she refudiantly refuses to step down!

[Guilded Lilly]

26. It's the cretinous statements that could bring her down

not the seriously criminal campaign laws she has broken. And even so, there will be enough subscribing to the fossilized horse manure politics of Palin-o'donnellogy in her personality to keep her interesting to the twisted media and therefore steal attention from the serious problems we face as a nation. Pandering to the ridiculous/braindead has always been an odd and dangerous habit in this country.

Those who embrace the nauseating culture of Republican *I'd do her* mentality regardless of her ancient and quite shallow views will continue to set the country screaming backwards and make those who SHOULD be heard into campaign-soundbite chaos.

"no one ever went broke underestiminating the intelligence of the American public"
-Mencken

[h9socialist]

28. I still that she should dust off some recordings of . . .

. . . Old Blue Eyes singing "Witchcraft" and use it for a campaign jingle!

[alp227]

29. Her 90s statements are just for shits & giggles I suppose. But her fiscal habits=power abuser status

Thanks for posting. I totally agree with you that she can't be a good politician if she's using Senate campaign donations as her welfare. I thought conservatives were all about lifting themselves from their own bootstraps! But no...they've got theirs before everybody else's.

[David__77]

32. Face of the "Tea Party," the "new" GOP, and Sarah Palin's comrade-sister.

She is the truest expression of the white nationalist right-wing movement. They should be proud of her, and we should make use of her by negative example - her and Palin.

[seafan]

33. Add the Tea Party's Marco Rubio in Florida to this type of investigation.

CREW Calls for Federal Criminal Investigation into Christine O’Donnell for Campaign Finance Fraud

September 20, 2010

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed complaints with the Delaware U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Federal Election Commission (FEC) against newly-minted Delaware senatorial candidate Christine O’Donnell (R) for using campaign funds for personal living expenses. By misusing campaign funds, Ms. O’Donnell committed the crime of conversion; by lying about her expenditures on forms she filed with the FEC, she committed false statements; and by failing to include the campaign funds she misappropriated as income, she committed tax evasion.

.....

We're still waiting for an update on Rubio's shenanigans. It would be nice if it happens before our US Senate election six weeks from now.



U.S. attorney, IRS and FBI investigating Florida GOP credit card use, April 21, 2010

Marco Rubio under scrutiny for racking up nearly $110 thousand on GOP credit card., February 25, 2010

Marco Rubio spent big with little scrutiny, March 13, 2010

Republican Party of Florida (RPOF) to release only 3 years of AmEx statements (2007-2009); Rubio used card from 2005-2008, April 23, 2010





These dangerous extremists of the Tea Party, driven by unbridled, massive corporate wealth behind them, are bringing down our country.


Those US Supreme Court Justices who unleashed the Citizens United ruling onto the country this year, creating this mayhem, should be impeached.


That would be Roberts, Scalia, Thomas, Alito and Kennedy.

[liberal N proud]

34. So the baggers want to replace what they would call corrupt politicians with

even more corrupt politicians who also is a sexually frustrated sorceress.

[LynneSin]

35. And that's just a downright shame because Mike Castle is one of the nicest people ever

He is one of the most honest politicians you'd fine in any party.

[indimuse]

36. KNR! n/t

[indimuse]

37. I think this needs

another KICK!



KNR!

[florida08]

38. she's not alone

Rubio is suspected of the same thing..lot's of pages..but hey who cares..he's ahead here. I hope all this will create s chitstorm on these teabagster picks.

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20100919/ARTICLE/9191024/2416/NEWS?Title=Senate-hopeful-Rubio-plagued-by-money-problems

[HCE SuiGeneris]

39. Those damn Democrats are always looking for handouts!! Tell em to get a job!!

Oh, wait...

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

41. O’Donnell who?

OPINION: It'll(She'll) be on Top Political Wonders of the Oughts in about ten minutes.

...probably on VH1...

[davepc]

42. No!!! She's perfecftly clean. Keep sending her money freepers! Keep sending in the money!

CREW is a vast left wing conspiracy created by the liberal agenda to take down tea party/conservative candidates! Don't believe a word of it! Keep sending her money! Every last cent!

[davepc]

43. Did CREW figure this stuff out themselves or did a little birdy in the RNC tell them were to look?

I wouldn't put it past her getting set up by the powers that be in the Republican party.

Watch they pull something like this if Palin declares for president in 2012.

[marew]

45. Hasn't she been doing doing this for years?

I read one of the rules she broke was not having a treasurer. Is there no one who oversees this? This was her third campaign, for crying out loud! Shouldn't she have had to provide some documentation?

[totodeinhere]

46. Add her to the list. Maxine Waters and Charlie Rangel are on that list as well. n/t

[DirkGently]

47. Don't arrest her until after the election, please. nt

[byrok]

48. I will be shocked,

if this goes anywhere. When was the last time any of these right wing criminals were prosecuted for anything. The worse they are, the more the crazies defend them, even cherish them. Instead, they will play a repeating image of her saying the word "masturbation" on their DVR's, while drooling out of their gaping mouths.




:puke: :puke: :puke:

[Amerigo Vespucci]

49. And the best part is that there is NO "grey area" here.

If she spent that money on rent, cell phone bills, bowling, dining out...she's a criminal. Period. And if she is, she should be treated as such.

[kenfrequed]

51. Feh

The establishment GOP would love her to be knocked off this way. The benefit they get is that there is no big loss that needs to be spun in November when McDonnell gets her teeth knocked in. Otherwise she will be the unoffical un-standard bearer for the Republicans and the lightning rod and example of how backwards and idiotic the Tea-bagistan movement is.

The last thing they want is a month of Bill Maher playing clips of just how stupid she is.

[Eugenian]

52. Can't she just

twitch her nose and make this scandal disappear?

[bergie321]

54. Why do people care?

She lost to Joe Biden in 2008 for the same seat by 30 points and Joe Biden was busy campaigning for Vice President. She is nothing but a media sensation like Sarah Palin.

[bowens43]

57. Leave her the hell alone!!!!!!!

Until after the election.......we need this seat.

[Ter]

58. Bad idea

This is starting to look like she is being picked on, and could very well backfire. Attacking her current extreme views should be enough.

[Marie Marie]

59. Poor Baby

I guess after all her bragging about her purity, campaign funds were the only thing left she could screw with. And Baby, she had herself an orgy!! How else does a 41 year old woman with no job pay her bills all these years? Oh yeah - witchcraft!!

[Iwillnevergiveup]

60. Right now, if I were Christine

I would be planning to leave the country. Cut and bleach the long witchy locks, grab my darkest sun glasses and GO. Maybe to the Middle East where the treatment of women is "refreshing." She's in deep doo-doo and it's only gonna get worse. Plus, she stands an excellent chance of losing the election.

:hide:

[Hubert Flottz]

61. "She's Purdy"

Purdy is, is purdy does.

[ProudDad]

64. Not only that but she was caught sitting next to PeeWee Herman

at the local "cinema"...

Working her DooWahDiddie....