Kevin Cramer Violated Numerous FEC Rules, Federal Election Complaint Filed Against Campaign

Cramer Once Again Proves He Can’t Be Trusted; Would Rather Pad His Own Pockets Than Get Results for North Dakota

(BISMARCK, ND) — Today, Attorney General candidate and Grand Forks attorney David Thompson filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) citing numerous violations made by Kevin Cramer and his campaign. Cramer is no stranger to skirting ethics rules – earlier this year, the Dem-NPL filed an ethics complaint for Cramer’s misuse of taxpayer dollars. Additionally, Cramer has faced criticism for having family on campaign payroll and reimbursing himself hundreds of thousands of dollars – a practice ethics watchdogs called ‘morally kind of sticky.’

“What’s clear is that Kevin Cramer is a crooked Washington politician who has used his campaign committee as a get-rich-quick scheme to con North Dakotans,” said Scott McNeil, Executive Director of the Democratic-NPL. “This latest concerning violation is yet another example of Cramer’s unethical behavior, and he owes the voters answers and full transparency. Just because he’s a politician doesn’t mean Cramer is above the rules – we hope the FEC will look into this manner in a timely fashion.”

The recent FEC complaint addresses three potential violations of election rules:

  1. IMPROPER PER DIEM: Congressman Cramer is not allowed to pay himself a stipend from his campaign account. But his pre-primary FEC report showed his campaign’s use of per diems.

    As a federal officeholder, Congressman Cramer is prohibited from receiving any salary or stipend from his campaign. However, the campaign reimbursed him $253.00 for “per diem” meals. The per diem notation suggests that the reimbursement was not for the actual cost of any meals actually paid for, but rather a stipend.  This is impermissible and does not comply with FEC rules.

  2. IMPLAUSIBLE MILEAGE REIMBURSEMENTS TO KEVIN AND KRIS CRAMER: The campaign’s reimbursement of $1,152.75 to Representative Cramer and $531.38 to Kris Cramer for first quarter mileage expenses is highly unusual and almost implausible.

    Using the Internal Revenue Service’s mileage rate of 54.5 cents per mile, Congressman Cramer would have had to have driven more than 2,115 miles during the months of January, Februaryand March of 2018 for the reimbursement to be valid as a campaign-related expense. Additionally, Congressman Cramer’s wife, Kris – who has recently been on campaign payroll – would have had to have driven almost 1,000 miles during the months of January, February and March of 2018.

    It is highly unlikely that Congressman Cramer and his wife drove more than 3,115 miles in the first quarter of 2018 for campaign purposes. 3,115 miles represents a distance further than driving from Bismarck, North Dakota to Corpus Christi, Texas and back.

    Such a distance is especially unusual for Congressman Cramer, given that Congress was in session the overwhelming majority of days during the first quarter of 2018 and given Congressman Cramer’s obligation to attend to his official duties in Washington, D.C. and in North Dakota. As you are likely aware, former Congressman Aaron Schock came under fire for fudging mileage expensive.

  3. IMPROPER TIMING ON REIMBURSEMENTS: Congressman Cramer appears to have failed to report a number of expenses within the required reporting period. He should pay these reimbursements back to the FEC to be in compliance with the rules.

ICYMI: Trade War Impact on North Dakota

“The Administration’s trade war is a self-inflicted wound against three of North Dakota’s largest industries – energy, agriculture, and manufacturing…”

(BISMARCK, ND) – Three of North Dakota’s most important industries stand to lose a great deal in the president’s escalating trade war. According to a recent Bismarck Tribune editorial and Grand Forks Herald article, farmers, manufacturers and the energy industry all stand to lose from the administration’s misguided attempt to get tough on trade. Meanwhile, Congressman Kevin Cramer is leaving them out to dry – and should he continue to endorse the president’s reckless policies, North Dakota’s economy could face some serious consequences.

While farmers back home lament being used as a “bargaining chip” and North Dakota manufacturers say “it’s been pretty difficult lately,” Cramer has been hard at work looking out for himself in Washington. Desperate to align himself with the president no matter how it affects North Dakotans, Cramer has repeatedly dismissed concerns over the impact of a trade was as “hysteria.”

Cramer’s inability to stand up for North Dakota demonstrates a clear truth: If he thinks it will help him climb the ladder in D.C., he’s happy to leave North Dakota’s hardworking men and women by the wayside. Highlights from both articles below:

Bismarck Tribune: North Dakota to lose a lot in trade war

  • President Donald Trump’s insistence on creating balance with the nation’s trading partners could come back and bite North Dakota hard.

  • North Dakota’s economy relies on the export of its agricultural products and the import of many other items. With other countries slapping retaliatory tariffs on the U.S. it could hurt the state’s rebounding economy.

  • Companies operating in North Dakota that will feel the tariffs include Bobcat, a heavy equipment manufacturer employing 3,000 workers in four state cities. The tariffs mean higher steel prices for Bobcat and smaller companies that deal with steel siding and roofing. There’s speculation that higher prices prompted by the tariffs could result in some layoffs by North Dakota businesses.

  • Two-thirds of North Dakota’s soybeans are shipped to China. If the trade conflict intensifies it’s going to be difficult for growers who rely so much on one market.

  • On Thursday, Heitkamp warned the trade war could harm the state’s energy industry. China’s retaliatory tariffs include oil and the Chinese could seek alternative sources of oil.

  • Trump needs to put down his stick and find a better way to resolve trade issues without getting into full-fledged war. If not, North Dakota will suffer.

Grand Forks Herald: North Dakota manufacturers left to weather the uncertainty of trade war

  • Steel and aluminum prices are rising in the region, and that means higher prices for farming equipment, recreational vehicles, motorhomes and more.

  • With tariffs in place on steel and aluminum from U.S. allies since early June and threats of retaliatory tariffs from Canada in July, the North Dakota Trade Office said it already has noticed a 15 to 20 percent increase on base prices for steel and aluminum.

  • The best solution, he said, would be slowing things down and having a candid discussion on real ways the United States can improve trade. Wilson said the country needs to “get the right people from different countries to sit around and hammer out some solutions.”

  • “We’re all about fair trade,” Wilson said of the NDTO, “and fair trade isn’t all these tariffs. It’s letting North Dakota businesses compete on a level playing field.”

Democratic-NPL Plans “Day of Action” in Response to President Trump Visit

Volunteers, Organizers, and Candidates will reach out to 12,000 voters on the day of Trump’s rally

(BISMARCK, ND)  — While President Trump is slated to take the stage at Fargo’s Scheels Center (capacity ~6,000), the North Dakota Democratic-NPL will be pounding the pavement with volunteers and organizers to double the rally’s outreach.

With Day of Action Events planned for Bismarck, Fargo, and Grand Forks on Wednesday, June 27, volunteers will be knocking on doors throughout the day to listen to voters and talk about the issues they care about most.

Interested volunteers can visit demnpl.com to sign up.

“If President Trump and Congressman Cramer think North Dakotans are going to welcome them with open arms after their repeated assaults on North Dakota’s rural economy, they can think again,” said Scott McNeil, Executive Director of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL. “Our base is energized, our volunteers are excited, and our candidates are ready to criss-cross their districts and this state to earn every vote. This campaign will be won on the ground, and the party has the infrastructure to support volunteers in all four corners of the state. While President Trump talks at the 6,000 people in the Scheels Center, the North Dakota Democratic-NPL will be listening to twice as many voters.”

Rep. Mock Attending Rising State Leaders Program in Canada

North Dakota House Minority Leader chosen to participate in the program fostering US-Canada relations
(GRAND FORKS, ND) — North Dakota House Minority Leader Representative Corey Mock (District 18) is one of six American state legislators selected to participate in the Embassy of Canada’s Rising State Leaders program.

The 6-day educational working tour will visit Vancouver and Victoria in British Columbia, Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories, and Calgary in Alberta. During their time in Canada, the delegation will meet with legislators and business leaders to underscore the importance of US-Canada cooperation in the realms of trade, border security, and economic development, with special emphasis in technology, energy, rural development, and agriculture.

“I am humbled by the invitation to participate in the Embassy of Canada’s Rising State Leaders Program,” said Representative Corey Mock. “Canada is our state’s largest trading partners, with over $4 billion worth of North Dakota goods exported to Canadian markets every year. Especially in a time where relations between the two countries seem to be strained, I want to share North Dakota’s perspective on important issues like trade, border security, and energy production. I am grateful for the opportunity to participate in the fact-finding program and I look forward to the opportunity to strengthen the US-Canadian bond.”

The Rising State Leaders program was started in 2006 and has since brought over 80 American legislators to meet with Canadian elected officials and business leaders. The 2018 program runs from June 24 – 30. Other states represented include Alaska, Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, and Nebraska.

FLASHBACK FRIDAY: Tale of Two Fact Checks

(BISMARCK, ND) — This week, Congressman Kevin Cramer earned Four Pinocchios from the Washington Post – their worst possible rating, reserved for “whoppers” – for lying about the Washington Republican tax bill’s impact on the national debt. Glenn Kessler, the Post’s fact checker, even called Cramer’s claims “poppycock.” See for yourself below:

Washington Post: N.D. Republican’s Senate campaign ‘fact-checking’ website promotes false claim on CBO estimates

  • Cramer’s website is simply wrong when he claims the deficits projected do not take into account the economic growth in Trump’s agenda. The CBO does take into account the economic feedback from tax cuts. As any mainstream economist will explain, the problem is that tax cuts do not pay for themselves.

  • For a website that proclaims it is providing the truth and nothing but the facts, this line about the tax cuts and economic growth is poppycock. The CBO does take into account the economic effect of tax bills, so Cramer is simply wrong on that score. It’s even worse for a politician to suggest he is a deficit hawk — and ready to take on entitlements — and yet dismiss credible forecasts on future deficits by a respected agency.

  • In the meantime, Cramer earns Four Pinocchios.

On the flip side, Senator Heidi Heitkamp was fact-checked by the Associated Press (AP) about her new ad, “Answer.” The AP found that Heidi was correct about her voting record. Read more below:

Associated Press: AP FACT CHECK: It’s true Heitkamp votes often with Trump

  • In a television ad released last week, Heitkamp speaks directly to viewers and says she’s voted more than half the time with Trump.

  • THE FACTS: It is true that Heitkamp has voted a majority of the time with Trump since he took office on Jan. 20, 2017.

  • The AP reviewed Heitkamp’s voting record on all bills and nominations from Trump’s inauguration to June 1, 2018. During that period, the North Dakota senator supported Trump-backed nominees or legislation more than 68 percent of the time. Presidential nominations for judges, cabinet members and other Trump administration appointees make up a bulk of the voting record.

Just Plain Wrong: Cramer Fights to Cut Food Assistance for Kids While Living Large on Campaign Funds

(BISMARCK, ND) – Kevin Cramer wants struggling American families to “get off the dole,” but he has no problem using campaign funds to bankroll his lavish lifestyle in Washington. Since arriving in Washington, Cramer has been paid nearly $9,000 by his campaign to cover the cost of his personal meals. In Congress, Cramer has supported “enormous cuts” to food assistance programs like SNAP, while savoring luxurious lunches for himself.

Cramer is paid $174,000 per year by taxpayers and has nearly doubled his net-worth since arriving in Congress. Yet, he has repeatedly targeted a program that supports struggling North Dakota families who earn a median household income of just $17,514 per year. Out-of-touch as anyone in Washington, Cramer has no qualms about asking his supporters to fork over almost $20 per meal, but he’s appalled by a program that provides an average of $1.86 per meal to more than 50,000 middle-class and low-income North Dakotans back home.

Of course, Cramer’s shameless inconsistency isn’t breaking news for North Dakotans. Cramer ran on shrinking government spending but he voted for a massive corporate tax giveaway that will add nearly $2 trillion to the national debt. He wants to “drain the swamp,” but he’s used his position to enrich his family – to the tune of more than $375,000. Even the local media and fellow Republicans have taken notice of Cramer’s brazen corruption.

Crooked Cramer’s self-serving and nepotistic ways beg the question: Who is Kevin Cramer really looking out for in Washington, North Dakotans or himself?

“Fortunately for Kevin Cramer, the big-money circle he runs in insulates him from ever having to speak with someone struggling to put food on the table, because I bet they’d like to give him a piece of their mind,” said Scott McNeil, Executive Director of the Democratic-NPL. “Trying to take away a meager safety net — less than $2 per meal — which families with kids depend on isn’t just wrong-headed policy, it’s just plain cruel.”

Double Whammy: Trade War Raises Cost of Doing Business & Shrinks Market for Oil Companies in ND and Beyond

“We want them to understand that the tariffs have a negative impact on US oil and gas industry. […] You can’t be promoting and maximising the production of energy while also imposing tariffs”

(BISMARCK, ND) – The president’s trade war could have unintended consequences for North Dakota’s oil industry, undermining yet another key industry in the Peace Garden State. With the state’s farmers bracing for a painful year and businesses statewide already feeling the pressure, North Dakota’s oil industry appears to be next on the chopping block. Unfortunately for the state’s many energy producers, the effects could be twofold.

Companies in the Bakken rely heavily on imported metals – with the president applying tariffs on imported steel from Canada, Mexico, and the European Union, the cost of doing business could soon be going up.

On top of that, American oil producers are fearful of losing business in one of the fastest growing markets in the world, as oil exports to China – currently totaling nearly $1 billion per month – appear to be the next in line for retribution in administration’s escalating trade war. This “tit-for-tat petroleum diplomacy” could make American oil less competitive than oil from Russia and the Middle East, bringing down profitability for American companies.

Rather than fighting for North Dakota’s most important industries, Kevin Cramer has been fully supportive of the president’s dangerous and misguided trade policies. Making matters worse for Cramer, his finance chair and the reason he decided to run for Senate, Harold Hamm, had to pull out of a meeting with OPEC in the days after China promised retaliation on U.S. oil products.

“From farmers, manufacturers, and energy producers, Kevin Cramer’s support for the administration’s trade war is hitting all sides of North Dakota’s economy,” said Scott McNeil, Executive Director of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL. “Even as our top industries come under fire, Cramer continues to cheerlead a trade war. North Dakotans are already hurting from these policies, but Crooked Cramer continues to double down – but North Dakotans won’t forget that he stood for himself and against North Dakota’s economic interests in November.”

Double Whammy: Trade War Raises Cost of Doing Business & Shrinks Market for Oil Companies in ND and Beyond

“We want them to understand that the tariffs have a negative impact on US oil and gas industry. […] You can’t be promoting and maximising the production of energy while also imposing tariffs”

(BISMARCK, ND) – The president’s trade war could have unintended consequences for North Dakota’s oil industry, undermining yet another key industry in the Peace Garden State. With the state’s farmers bracing for a painful year and businesses statewide already feeling the pressure, North Dakota’s oil industry appears to be next on the chopping block. Unfortunately for the state’s many energy producers, the effects could be twofold.

Companies in the Bakken rely heavily on imported metals – with the president applying tariffs on imported steel from Canada, Mexico, and the European Union, the cost of doing business could soon be going up.

On top of that, American oil producers are fearful of losing business in one of the fastest growing markets in the world, as oil exports to China – currently totaling nearly $1 billion per month – appear to be the next in line for retribution in administration’s escalating trade war. This “tit-for-tat petroleum diplomacy” could make American oil less competitive than oil from Russia and the Middle East, bringing down profitability for American companies.

Rather than fighting for North Dakota’s most important industries, Kevin Cramer has been fully supportive of the president’s dangerous and misguided trade policies. Making matters worse for Cramer, his finance chair and the reason he decided to run for Senate, Harold Hamm, had to pull out of a meeting with OPEC in the days after China promised retaliation on U.S. oil products.

“From farmers, manufacturers, and energy producers, Kevin Cramer’s support for the administration’s trade war is hitting all sides of North Dakota’s economy,” said Scott McNeil, Executive Director of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL. “Even as our top industries come under fire, Cramer continues to cheerlead a trade war. North Dakotans are already hurting from these policies, but Crooked Cramer continues to double down – but North Dakotans won’t forget that he stood for himself and against North Dakota’s economic interests in November.”

ICYMI: Kevin Cramer Says There’s “Nothing Inhumane” About Keeping Children in Cages, Compares them to Playgrounds

(BISMARCK, ND) — Kevin Cramer clearly doesn’t have a moral compass. Even while faith leaders and folks on both sides of the aisle have condemned the president’s family separation policy, Cramer thinks there’s “nothing inhumane” about detaining children in cages. You read that correctly. He even called the crisis at the border “over dramatization,” and concern for children being held in chain-linked cages “hoopla.”

Read more about Cramer’s heartless comments below:

Talking Points Memo: GOP Senate Nominee Cramer Compares Cages For Migrant Kids To Playgrounds

  • Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) pushed back hard on the idea that keeping border-crossing children in chain-link cages was inhumane, defending the practice in two local radio shows on Wednesday.
  • “By the way, chain link fences are around playgrounds all over America, all over North Dakota. And chain link fences allow line-of-sight visual connectivity with children and families,” he said as he discussed reversing President Trump’s policy to let families stay together at the border. “You know, there’s nothing inhumane about a chain link fence. If it is, then every ballpark in America is inhumane.”
  • Cramer doubled down on his comments when asked about them later in the day on WDAY, another local radio station, calling the focus on the cages “hoopla.”
  • Senate Republicans initially had opposed having Cramer, a close ally of Trump’s, as their candidate for Senate precisely because of his penchant for controversial comments. After failing to find a better alternative they circled back to him.
  • Cramer has since stirred up some controversies, including comments that Trump wasn’t campaigning as hard against Heitkamp as some other vulnerable Senate Democrats because “she’s a woman,” and sought and received an endorsementfrom a virulently anti-gay group that compares transgender people to pedophiles.

CNN: GOP Senate candidate Kevin Cramer: ‘Nothing inhumane about a chain-link fence’

  • North Dakota’s GOP Rep. Kevin Cramer volunteered support on Wednesday for chain-link fences in facilities where the government is detaining migrant children, comparing their use to playgrounds and ballparks.
  • Later on Wednesday, a caller on WDAY’s “The Rob (re)Port” asked Cramer about the comment and if he had heard audio of children crying after being separated from their parents.
  • “I think link fences is irrelevant to the crying of children,” Cramer responded. “My commentary is on the chain-link fence. There’s all this hoopla, because I think there are people on the left who clearly want the country to fail at this. And they would like the chain-link fence, they called it ‘dog cages.’ Well, chain-link fence has been used to, as I said, to protect children from predators on playgrounds, baseball diamonds, all kinds of sports courts and whatnot.”

Huffington Post: GOP Congressman Defends Cages For Migrant Kids: Playgrounds Have Chain-Link Fences

  • Republican Congressman Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), who is running for Senate, compared the cages migrant children have been kept in while in federal detention to playgrounds.
  • Cramer’s comments echoed those of Fox News host Laura Ingraham earlier this week, which caused outrage when she described the detention centers as “essentially summer camps.”

SHOT/CHASER: Kevin Cramer on Soybeans vs. Reality

(BISMARCK, ND) — Kevin Cramer has been the biggest cheerleader for the president’s trade war. Turning his back on North Dakota farmers and ranchers, Cramer has dismissed their concerns as “hysteria.” Here’s a quick shot/chaser to show just how divorced from reality Cramer really is:

SHOT: Last month, Kevin Cramer said, “Soybeans are one of those products where there’sa very high demand and a short supply. That means there will always be a pretty good price for soybeans.”

CHASER: In reality, soybean prices have just plunged to a nine-year low as Cramer and the White House stumble into a reckless trade war that threatens the livelihood of North Dakota’s ag producers. Read more from CNBC.

Maybe if Cramer served on the House agriculture committee he would have a better grasp on the issues? Here’s a quick timeline of Cramer’s bad, all-over-the-place record fanning the flames of the trade war:

  • March 7, 2018: Cramer joined 106 House colleagues in asking the president to reconsider his plan for tariffs.

  • March 17, 2018: “Rep Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., a Trump supporter, said he would like to see changes in the tariff proposal.”

  • April 4, 2018: Cramer posted, then deleted a tweet and a Facebook post citing his opposition to Trump’s tariffs, which he claimed had “the potential to harm” North Dakota’s agricultural sector.

  • April 4, 2018: Cramer replaced his original tweet and Facebook posts with new statements supporting the president’s aggressive trade policies.

  • April 9, 2018: Just a day after admitting similar concerns, Cramer accused Democrats of wanting to “pour fuel on the fire of hysteria” when discussing the impact of a trade war. He lamented that Democrats expressing concern about a trade war was “neither helpful to the markets nor helpful to the farmers and certainly not helpful to the country.”

  • April 20, 2018: Not happy only blaming Democrats for his failing trade war, Cramer aimed his fire at the media, complaining that North Dakota’s newspapers had been promoting “Heitkamp’s misguided understanding on market impacts of tariffs in North Dakota.”

  • May 3, 2018: Demonstrating how out-of-touch he is with the struggles of modern farmers, Cramer assured soybean farmers that they wouldn’t be affected by the looming trade war, saying, “you can have a one day scare, a couple of days scare, but soybeans are going to follow- They’re going to follow the market trend based on willing buyer, willing seller.”

  • May 17, 2018: Doubling down on his inaccurate claims about agriculture, Cramer claimed on local talk radio, “soybeans are one of those products where there’s a very high demand and short supply. That means there will always be a pretty good price for soybeans.” In fact, due to the president’s trade war, soybean prices are at a nine-year low.

  • May 21, 2018: Cramer tripled down on his hysteria comments – “Sure enough, Democrat hysteria over the past few months on trade negotiations proved to be just that–hysteria. Thankfully, the administration approached China from a position of strength and has forged a tentative deal that leaves North Dakota producers in a stronger position than they were before, given China’s commitment to significantly increase purchases.” In fact, after the president approved tariffs on Chinese goods, China backed out of its promise to buy more American goods.

  • June 1, 2018: Cramer quadrupled down on his hysteria rhetoric, saying “I don’t fall for the hysteria thing.”

  • June 15, 2018: During a visit to the White House with North Dakota ag producers, Cramer discussed the “excitement” of being present while the president applied tariffs on $50 billion worth of Chinese goods.

  • June 19, 2018: In a campaign email, Cramer criticized a group of farmers for discussing trade with the Mexican Ambassador and accused Senator Heitkamp of undermining the presidency for working to provide a commonsense solution to a complex problem.

ICYMI: Cramer Endorses Cruel Family Separations at Southern Border, Says “Nothing Inhumane” About Children in Cages

“[Cramer’s] statement lacked awareness of the trauma this policy has on these young children, shows little regard for the truth on how this barbaric policy can be corrected, and omitted attempted immigration reform history.”

(BISMARCK, ND) — Kevin Cramer will do or say anything to cozy up to the White House – and now, he’s getting slammed in the press for his cruel endorsement of the administration’s practice of separating children from their families at the Southern Border. Cramer even went so far as to say that the situation is being “over-dramatized.” This week, ProPublica released audio of children wailing as an agent crassly joked, “We have an orchestra in here.”

But Cramer is turning a cold shoulder – saying there’s “nothing inhumane” about keeping children in cages. Watch Cramer discuss his agreement with the president on this brutal policy, saying “I think there’s a lot of over dramatization if you want to know the truth […].”
Kevin Cramer on KFYR

Read more about Cramer’s heartless, partisan endorsement of family separations:

Forum: McFeely: Trump’s child separation policy bleeds into ND Senate race

  • It seems obvious the moral thing to do would be to reunite the migrant children with their parents at this country’s southern border. Stop the cruelty as the first step and go from there. Using children as young as 18 months old as political leverage isn’t the American way.

  • “I think there is a lot of overdramatization, to tell you the truth,” Cramer told Gray Television, which owns affiliates like KVLY, KFYR and KMOT in North Dakota.

  • This follows the pattern of the campaign. Heitkamp will speak out when she believes the president is wrong. Cramer will never confront Trump. His campaign and personal brand are dependent on wholly agreeing with the president.

NDxPlains: UPDATED: Cramer Appears to Endorse Family Separation Policy in Misleading Statement

  • [Cramer’s] statement came shortly before audio was made public of these same children crying in fear. His statement lacked awareness of the trauma this policy has on these young children, shows little regard for the truth on how this barbaric policy can be corrected, and omitted attempted immigration reform history.

  • If you read between the lines, Cramer is accepting the fact these children are being used as a political bargaining chip to get a larger reform package.

  • Immigration reform is long overdue. Efforts were made in 2013 when the Senate passed a bipartisan, comprehensive immigration reform package. The package received 68 votes in the Senate. Both Senators Heitkamp and Hoeven voted for the package. The bill included $5 billion for border security, transformed the system to a merit-based system, and eliminated visa lottery. Sound familiar? The only thing that seems to be missing was the wall. That comprehensive immigration reform package died in the House in 2014. House Republicans refused to even take up the vote because of partisan politics. Congressman Kevin Cramer served in that Congress.

High Plains Reader: “DESTROYING OUR IMAGE”

  • Cramer received a backlash of criticism from his constituents on social media.

  • Current Congressman Kevin Cramer backed the administration’s zero tolerance policy against migrants, saying “there’s a lot of over dramatization if you want to know the truth […]

  • While Senators grilled the director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Tuesday morning, some North Dakota politicians played the blame game.

CROOKED AS THEY COME: Kevin Cramer Continues to Enrich Himself, Family off Campaign

Former Senator Kent Conrad previously said Cramer “has made a virtual cottage industry out of his campaigns”

(BISMARCK, ND) — Kevin Cramer is just about as crooked as they come. While some got into politics to make a difference, Cramer has made it a priority to enrich himself. He’s already come under fire from local media about his massive, nepotistic payments to himself and his family members – but it looks like that didn’t stop him.

To date, since the last reporting period, Cramer and his family have pocketed more than $375,000. Cramer has paid nearly $200,000 himself. His wife, Kris – who was until recently on payroll – has raked in nearly $150,000. Other payments have gone to members of the Cramer family and their family business, as well. Politics has been a profitable business for the Cramer family – since he was elected to Congress, Cramer’s net worth has nearly doubled.

“Kevin Cramer went to Washington to get rich, and it looks like his con is working,” said Scott McNeil, Executive Director of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL. “Since he was elected to Congress, Cramer and his family have pocketed hundreds of thousands in campaign contributions – all the while his net worth skyrocketed – nearly doubling since he moved into his D.C. office. North Dakota voters will remember on Election Day that Kevin Cramer is nothing more than a crooked Washington politician climbing a political ladder – that’s why his loyalty will always lie with special interests.”