South Carolina Democratic Rep. James Clyburn gave six-figure campaign cash to two family members during the 2022 election cycle, filings show.
The longtime congressman’s election campaign included tens of thousands of dollars in bribes to a company linked to his son-in-law. He also sent about $100,000 to his grandson, Federal Election Commission records show.
Although it is legal for federal politicians to pay family members from their campaigns, ethics experts have generally rejected the practice. Nevertheless, both political parties benefited.
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Rep. Clyburn has raised tens of thousands of dollars in campaign funds for a company registered to her son-in-law and even more for her grandson.
(Reuters)
The Clyburn family’s payments include $57,500 in rental expenses from 49 Magnolia Blossom LLC during the last election cycle, according to the filings. The company has close ties to his daughter, Jennifer Clyburn Reed.
Clyburn Reed’s husband, Walter A. Reed, is the registered agent of the limited liability company, according to South Carolina business records.
Clyburn also paid $94,000 in “campaign management fees” to his grandson, Walter AC Reed, during the midterm election cycle, his filings further show.
President Biden nominated Representative Clyburn’s daughter, Jennifer Clyburn Reed, to be the federal co-chair of the Southeast Crescent Regional Commission in 2021.
(AP Photo/Evan Vokey)
Clyburn has faced no legitimate threat to his House seat since entering Congress in 1993 and has easily cruised through re-election in the Palmetto State’s 6th Congressional District.
His campaign did not respond to a request for comment on the payments.
The high-ranking Democrat was a key figure in President Biden’s 2020 campaign. During the presidential primaries, Clyburn helped swing South Carolina in Biden’s favor and put him on his way to the White House.
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Representative Clyburn has endorsed President Biden for a second term.
(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
And after winning the election, President Biden nominated the congressman’s daughter, Clyburn Reed, a former teacher, to be the federal co-chair of the Southeast Crescent Regional Commission in 2021.
In December of that year, the Senate confirmed him for the position, which works to alleviate economic hardship in the southeastern United States.
Clyburn has since come forward with an enthusiastic endorsement of Biden for a second term.
“I’m all for President Biden,” Clyburn recently told CBS’ Robert Costa in an interview. is entitled And I’m sure he’ll get re-elected, regardless of who the Republicans are, he did.”
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