Crooked Cramer Enriches Himself at North Dakotans’ Expense
(BISMARCK, ND) – Crooked Kevin Cramer has shown North Dakotans time and again that he’ll always do what’s best for his own interests and pocketbook at their expense.
From using campaign money to pay himself and his family hundreds of thousands of dollars to accepting campaign donations from industry executives that he was in charge of regulating, Cramer’s actions were described as “morally kind of sticky” and raised “legitimate questions as to the appearance of impropriety.”
See for yourself:
KFYR: Rep. Kevin Cramer’s campaign fund use comes into question.
- Rep. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., is facing reports that he is using campaign funds to pay himself and his family.
- A report published last week in Politico and Federal Elections Commission Filings shows Cramer paid family members more than $140,000 and reimbursed himself nearly $200,000 since 2013.
- Money in politics is a hot button issue, now Congressman Kevin Cramer might be feeling the heat… “There are things that are legal for candidates to do but even if they’re legal they may not be super comfortable with them,” said Jordan Libowitz, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.
- “It’s the type of behavior that people have flagged in the past as just sort of part of the swamp so to speak. It’s a way that members of congress can sort of enrich themselves and their families just by virtue of their position,” said Kevin Robillard, Politico.
See also: Politico: Paying family with campaign funds could dog Cramer in Senate bid: “The practice is ‘legally alright but morally kind of sticky,’ said Jordan Libowitz, the communications director at CREW. ‘It’s important for supporters to know this money is basically going back into [the candidate’s] own pocket.’”
WDAY: ND Attorney general candidate accuses Rep. Cramer of misusing campaign funds.
- A Grand Forks attorney has filed a complaint against U.S. Rep. Kevin Cramer. David Thompson, who is running for North Dakota Attorney General, said Cramer used his campaign funds for his own personal use.
- “Congressman Cramer’s behavior demonstrates, in my estimation, the worst of Washington and goes to show why many North Dakotas have lost faith in politics,” Thompson said.
- Thompson also accused Cramer of missing deadlines for reimbursements, but has “paid himself back anyway.”
Yahoo.
Cramer accused of “taking improper campaign contributions from coal mining officials” as Public Service Commissioner.”
- The Dickinson-based Dakota Resource Council and the Sierra Club filed a lawsuit last year aiming to stop the PSC from regulating the mining industry. The groups accused… former [Public Service] commissioner Kevin Cramer — now the state’s sole member of the U.S. House of Representatives — of taking improper campaign contributions from coal mining officials.
- [The judge who ruled on the case] said that while accepting such contributions maybe be legal, the decision to do so is “ill-advised, devoid of common sense, and raises legitimate questions as to the appearance of impropriety.”
- The environmental groups allege $50,000 had been funneled to the commissioners from coal industry officials since 2006. According to the lawsuit, Cramer received more than $10,000 in donations from Houston businessman Corbin Robertson Jr. and his wife, Barbara, from 2008 through 2011.
Don’t forget: Just a few weeks ago, Cramer skipped several parades in North Dakota to attend a high-dollar RNC fundraiser in Beverly Hills.
