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| Ilhan Omar should be probed over payments to ‘lover': watchdog group |
| 2019-08-28 |
| Seems like an Honor Killing from her first husband would be in order if he wasn't also her brother.... [NY Post] A conservative watchdog group said Tuesday that it plans to file a complaint against US Rep. Ilhan Omar with the Federal Election Commission ‐ after The Post revealed allegations that she's dating one of her paid consultants. "This arrangement where Ilhan is paying her lover consulting fees could be illegal if he's not doing the work," said National Legal and Policy Center Chairman Peter Flaherty. "And we'll be asking the FEC for an investigation to determine the nature and level of his work product." Earlier Tuesday, The Post reported that Beth Mynett, a DC-based doctor, filed for separation from her husband, political consultant Tim Mynett, alleging he told her April 7 that he was having an affair with Omar. Records show that the 37-year-old Minnesota congresswoman paid Tim Mynett and his E. Street Group approximately $230,000 through her campaign since 2018 for fundraising consulting, digital communications, internet advertising and travel expenses. More than $70,000 of that money was transferred in 14 payments to Mynett's E. Street Group LLC between April 22 and June 11, records show. The fact that Omar's campaign committee continued to pay Tim Mynett's firm for months after his wife said he left her for the congresswoman isn't outright illegal. A public-affairs specialist at the FEC noted that the agency's regulations include a section that says, "Salary payments to a member of a candidate's family are not considered personal use, provided that the family member is providing bona fide services to the campaign and at a rate that does not exceed fair market value of the services provided." The question is whether that actually occurred here, Flaherty said. He noted that six of the expenditures in Omar's filings are simply labeled "travel expenses" worth $12,673.43 ‐ and that in Beth Mynett's legal papers, she questioned whether her husband's purported work travel was all for legitimate purposes. "On reflection Defendant's more recent travel and long work hours now appear to be more related to his affair with Rep. Omar than with his actual work commitments, averaging 12 days per month away from home over the past year," her filing reads. Flaherty said that at the very least, the FEC should ding Omar for not being more specific when reporting Mynett's firm's travel. "The law states that travel expenses have to be itemized, but Ilhan's campaign is just reporting large amounts for ‘travel,'" Flaherty said. "Our question is whether this was necessary travel or whether she was just bringing her boyfriend along for the company." A statement from the E Street Group on Tuesday touted the more than $2.3 million that it said it has raised for Omar's re-election campaign in 2019 so far. "As FEC reports show – we provide grass tops and grassroots fundraising, political and communications support for Democratic candidates, including events, digital fundraising, ad acquisition, SMS mobilization, research, video and other content collateral creation," the statement said. "E Street Group does not comment on the personal life of either our staff or clients." A request for comment to Omar's spokesman wasn't returned. |
| Posted by:Frank G |
| #7 Let those that have been probed, get the first probe. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2019-08-28 11:53 |
| #6 Seems like an Honor Killing from her first husband would be in order if he wasn't also her brother. Actually, because he's her brother ... |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2019-08-28 10:50 |
| #5 I won't believe the probity of the probee until she's properly probed. Probed ! |
| Posted by: Dron66046 2019-08-28 10:45 |
| #4 Who the prober, who the prob-ee? Кто кого? |
| Posted by: Lex 2019-08-28 10:28 |
| #3 Himmm. Probed, Himmmmm. I say, I say probed son. |
| Posted by: Dale 2019-08-28 10:26 |
| #2 Probed? It reads like there has already been some probing. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2019-08-28 09:11 |
| #1 What does the good Book say about a woman who pays for fornication? That she shtups to conquer the infidel? |
| Posted by: Lex 2019-08-28 01:41 |