Posted on 07/08/2014 3:01:27 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Intrepid journalist Charles C Johnson has uncovered even more evidence of voter fraud and vote buying by the Cochran campaign:
[emphasis mine]
Cochran campaign staffer Amanda Shook was illegally reimbursed for over $40,000 cash in walking around money during the Republican primary, according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings. The payments are described as “Reimbursed Expenses – Campaign Walkers.”
Regulation 11 CFR 116.5 expressly defines funds advanced by campaign staff for any reason other than travel or subsistence as a loan. It is illegal under FEC rules to loan money to a campaign in excess of the contribution limit of $2,600. “[I]f your loan exceeds the limits, it is an illegal contribution, even if it is later repaid in full,” notes the FEC website.
Shook was previously alleged to be one of the sources of street cash in an alleged vote-buying operation in a Gotnews.com report from the Reverend Stevie Fielder.
Shook is Director of Operations for the Thad Cochran campaign, where she works for campaign manager Kirk Sims, who was also mentioned by Fielder as someone he worked with on the Cochran campaign. Shook previously worked for Sims in the office of Governor Phil Bryant, where Sims was the governor’s chief of staff and Shook was his scheduler. Sims is U.S. Senator Roger Wicker’s son-in-law.
FEC reports list seven payments by Citizens for Cochran, the candidate’s official campaign committee, to Shook totaling $52,625. The bulk of these payments describe the purpose of the disbursement as “Reimbursed Expenses – Campaign Walkers.” It is unclear how 27 year-old Shook acquired such large sums of cash for the initial outlays. Requests for comment from Shook went unanswered at the time of this writing.
Amanda Shook, nee Mertz, is the same “Amanda” named by Reverend Stevie Fielder last week in the GotNews exclusive interview. Fielder identified an Amanda that he spoke with at the campaign office.
Rev. Fielder came forth to allege vote buying activities of Thad Cochran’s campaign staff. His story has been covered by subsequent reporters, including Matthew Boyle of BreitbartNews.
According to FEC documents filed by Citizens for Cochran, Amanda Shook received seven separate payments from the PAC from May 1-June 3. However, most of the cash walking money, $41,500 was paid to Shook from May 29-June 3, just prior to the Republican Primary. “Walking around money” or street money is the practice of using cash for sometimes questionable purposes during campaigns.
Shortly after the primary and before run-off, Shook left the country for a luxurious vacation at a resort in the Dominican Republic for her husband’s 30th birthday.
Responding to previous Gotnews.com reporting, the Cochran campaign admitted to making cash payments of $25 in envelopes, not $15.
Spokesman Jordan Russell told the Clarion-Ledger: “Whether you’re a high school kid in northeast Jackson or a retired nurse in Greenwood, if you’re out working doors for us, you get paid in cash, in an envelope. Saleem asked the guy for names and addresses for (Federal Election Commission) filing purposes. Why would you ask a guy for names and addresses if you’re buying votes?“
Johnson has much more, including Federal Elections Commission disclosure forms, and quotes from other political leaders regarding cash payments to campaign workers, who say it’s a no-no here.
Johnson vows to make all of the evidence he has compiled available to the FBI.
Amanda Shook is mentioned by Stevie Fielder as one of the people who was in contact with him for the vote buying scandal. This just CONFIRMS what we already knew, that the cockring campaign engaged in ILLEGAL ACTIVITY, and their candidate should be disqualified immediately, as is required under Mississippi law.
Now the street thugs know who to target — those political aides walking around with all that cash.
pinging right along
Wouldn’t they have placed that cash into the Thieves Credit Union by now?
Ms. Shook, what we got heah is ... failya to communicate!
$41,000 is 2700 votes @$15/vote —
With all that cash walking around he should have won by 50,000 votes — I suspect that there was some sandbagging and pocketing going on — a whole lot.
It would be so funny if a bunch of blacks came out and said “Fifteen dollars? I only gots ten. I wants my five bucks!”
Oh I am sure he FBI will get right on it.
Did I say the FBI?
and now that they know the going price for a vote is $15 just how many in the next election will be asking da bosses to “show dem duh money”.
I hope they dig a big hole for that crook
Sadly, I blame the people of MS for this; they could have voted out THad Enough years ago had they had they fortitude to do so.
Thad hasn’t had much opposition in primaries and only token opposition from democrats.
Southern Fried Election Accounting Books with chitlins, grits, and fried possum...
Placemark
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