The campaign of progressive California Representative Maxine Waters has consented to pay a fine of $68,000 following an investigation that uncovered numerous violations of election regulations.
The Federal Election Commission (FEC) indicated in a series of documents that the veteran House lawmaker’s 2020 campaign organization, Citizens for Waters, breached several campaign finance laws.
The FEC charged Citizens for Waters with “failing to accurately report receipts and disbursements in the calendar year 2020,” “knowingly accepting excessive contributions,” and “making prohibited cash disbursements,” as stated in a document that seems to be a legally binding agreement enabling both parties to avert court proceedings.
Waters’ committee has agreed to pay the civil penalty and also to “send its treasurer to a Commission-sponsored training program for political committees within one year of the effective date of this Agreement.”
“The document stated, ‘The Respondent is required to provide evidence of the necessary registration and attendance at the event to the Commission.’”
According to the investigation, Citizens for Waters received improper campaign contributions from seven individuals amounting to $19,000 during the years 2019 and 2020, despite the fact that the maximum permissible individual contribution is $2,800.
The committee disposed of those excessive contributions, although in a manner deemed ‘untimely,’ as noted in the document.
Furthermore, the FEC reported that Waters’ campaign committee ‘executed four prohibited cash disbursements, each exceeding $100, which totaled $7,000.’
“The document stated, ‘The Respondent is required to provide evidence of the necessary registration and attendance at the event to the Commission.’”
According to the investigation, Citizens for Waters received improper campaign contributions from seven individuals amounting to $19,000 during the years 2019 and 2020, despite the fact that the maximum permissible individual contribution is $2,800.
The committee disposed of those excessive contributions, although in a manner deemed ‘untimely,’ as noted in the document.
Furthermore, the FEC reported that Waters’ campaign committee ‘executed four prohibited cash disbursements, each exceeding $100, which totaled $7,000.’
Waters urged President Donald Trump to conduct an investigation and possibly deport First Lady Melania Trump during an anti-DOGE demonstration in Los Angeles last weekend.
Footage of her remarks became widely circulated as Waters implied that the first lady’s citizenship status—she has been a U.S. citizen since 2006—should be examined as a way to counter the president’s executive order that abolishes birthright citizenship.
“When he [Trump] discusses birthright, and he intends to reverse the fact that the Constitution permits those born here, even if their parents are undocumented, to remain in America. If he wishes to scrutinize those born here and whose parents are undocumented, perhaps he should first consider Melania,” Waters was recorded stating from the podium at a rally in Los Angeles, according to several videos shared online.
“We are uncertain whether her parents were documented. And perhaps we should take a closer look,” the elderly congresswoman added.
Before this, she expressed her fury and voiced her disapproval of both Trump and tech entrepreneur Elon Musk at an event in Washington, D.C.
During a rally organized by Democratic lawmakers opposing Musk’s access to information at the Treasury Department, Waters accused him of exceeding his authority without voter consent during her address.
“We must inform Elon Musk that nobody elected you. Nobody authorized you to access all of our private information. Nobody permitted you to oversee the financial transactions of this country,” Waters shouted.
