Politicians don’t always play by the rules. But when they get caught, their world is upended.
And a top Democrat may lose their job after breaking this law.
Raphael Warnock, a radical leftist U.S. Senator from Georgia, has been the subject of recent controversy.
The Senator is also a part time pastor and sometimes refers to himself as a “pro-choice pastor.”
But according to his 2022 financial disclosure, Warnock may have used his job as a minister to unethically bring in loads of cash.
“On his 2022 financial disclosure, Warnock listed a salary of $155,000 from Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church, though he alleged $125,000 of the amount was ‘deferred compensation for services before Jan. 20, 2021,’ allowing him to claim he didn’t bypass the roughly $30,000 outside income limit for senators” the Washington Examiner reported.
“But because the $125,000 wasn’t listed as an asset on Warnock’s 2021 disclosure or 2020 and 2021 church financial records, the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust on Tuesday demanded the Senate Select Committee on Ethics ‘immediately investigate’ whether Warnock ran afoul of ethics rules.”
And in a surprise to no one, the office of Senator Warnock did not reply for comment when asked by the Washington Examiner.
A Democrat breaking the rules shouldn’t come as a shock.
What’s even less surprising is the fact that a self-claimed “pro-choice pastor” is using his position for personal gain.
In a complaint written by Kendra Arnold, the Executive Director of the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT), she said, “When the facts presented so clearly indicate a violation has occurred, it is incumbent on the Senate Ethics Committee to investigate, inform the public to maintain citizen confidence, and hold the senator responsible for violations should they be found.”
If Senator Warnock is found guilty of breaking the law by receiving more than his allotted outside income, then that could spell serious trouble.
He could be fined $50,000 or receive a jail sentence of one year.
That would ultimately derail his career as a U.S. Senator.
According to the Washington Examiner, “FACT said the Ethics in Government Act ‘does not allow members to break the law without consequence,’ and pointed to provisions on how lawmakers skirting it could face fines of up to $50,000 or as much as one year in prison.”
Warnock also didn’t say if he was approved or not for “deferred compensation” by the Senate Select Committee in his 2022 financial disclosure.
Kendra Arnold can only think of two options as to why Warnock’s financial disclosure looks so fishy.
“Either Sen. Warnock and his church had a deferred compensation agreement that both have conspicuously failed to report the existence of for years, or he received outside income of over four times the legal limit,” Arnold said.
For now, Raphael Warnock can only hold his breath and hope that investigators don’t dig any deeper into everything he’s hiding in his financial statements.
Stay tuned to The Federalist Wire.
