The El Grande Cringe
Texas Congressvarmint Dan Crenshaw is quickly becoming the man most likely to make you cringe in Texas.
He’s currently involved in a Battle Royal with the Federal Elections Commission. While the ultimate victor is yet to be announced, Crenshaw has signed an agreement to pay one of the biggest fines I have ever seen the FEC levy. But, don’t get too excited because he agreed to accept a $42,000 fine for taking $200,000 in illegal campaign contributions.
The problem is that he’s not paying back the illegal contributions at a rate you’d expect from a man who fully admitted he took the contributions knowing they were illegal, and – hold on to your panties – think he might can be president one day.
The money came from 125 individuals, two PACs, four corporations, and three limited liability companies, the FEC said. The prohibited corporate contributions included gifts from law firms, real estate entities, and a wealth management company, according to FEC notices.
The campaign appears to have drawn the stiff fine after failing to return the contributions in a timely manner. In fact, more than a year and a half after the FEC first flagged the violations, Crenshaw still hadn’t released all the money. And the money he did turn over had claw marks on it.
The FEC sent the first of four notices in October 2020, and in December of that year the campaign promised it would either return or re-designate the unlawful contributions. But the vast majority of the refunds and re-designations—more than $207,000 worth—were returned “between 115 and 612 days late,” well outside the 60-day grace period, according to the report. As of this May, the campaign still hadn’t returned $3,216.50.
Dan, if my light bill is 612 days late, I’d be sitting in the dark melting.
Good Lord, Dan, it’s been two years, a couple of galas, a book tour, and a mini campaign ad with you jumping out of airplanes. Pay your fine and admit you’re for sale or at least for rent.
He is a useless waste of space as he has done nothing in the way of policy to help his constituents! He performs and takes money like a pirate but he just a meat bag.
1Karen, yes he is and also a waste of good oxygen. As for not doing anything for his constituents, I’m trying to think of any repugnantican members of congress that have. Any exceptions won’t be around in 2023.
2One more product of Texas gerrymandering.
3Crenshaw is just the latest example of how toothless our campaign finance laws are. Stanley Hilton, Bob Dole’s former staffer and author of “Senator for Sale,” wrote how the FEC nailed Dole after his election with a $200,000 fine for illegally accepting something like $600,000. Dole paid the fine two years later.
Hilton wrote, “But he was still in office, and he was still $400,000 richer.”
If we change the law so that all the vendors and donors of goods and services have to supply the same to all qualified candidates, it won’t matter how much illegal money anybody takes, because they’ll all get the same air and cable time, the same telecommunications gear, the same air transportation services, the same PAC-sponsored ads, etc.
Of course this means a lot of consultants will go out of business and the 5% who at present fund 85% of ALL campaigns will reduce their contributions (and not get the accustomed 1,200% return on their “investment”). So, this isn’t going to fly, is it?
4Is a cringe-worthy white guy with an eye patch from Texas a Cringo
5Why do I always look at that eye patch as part of a deliberate public image to look macho?
6Speaking of forbearance with fines and collections matters, did y’all hear about the little old black lady and grandma from Aladamnbama who got clapped in handcuffs and hauled off to the pokey for a $77 trash bill [a civil issue].
While white trash like Dannei boi get away scot-free with hundreds of thousands of ill-gotten dollars.
M’urikkka, land of freedumb and equality…
“Alabama police chief defends arrest of elderly Black woman for unpaid $77 trash bill”:
7https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/12/2/2139653/-Alabama-police-chief-defends-arrest-of-elderly-Black-woman-arrested-for-77-unpaid-trash-bill
Creny wears the eye patch to look big and strong .
8GOP slogan: “Never steal anything small”
Works for them.
9