California Democrat Rep. Maxine Waters is once again in the spotlight—this time for all the wrong reasons. The Federal Election Commission (FEC) has slapped her congressional campaign with a $68,000 fine for multiple violations of federal campaign finance laws tied to her 2020 re-election bid.
According to documents released Friday, Waters’ campaign—Citizens for Waters—was found to have committed a number of infractions, including failing to properly report both receipts and disbursements and accepting excessive donations. In addition, the campaign made prohibited cash payments, all in violation of federal election rules.
Details of the Violations
Fox News reported that the FEC accused Citizens for Waters of:
- Failing to accurately report receipts and disbursements for the 2020 election cycle.
- Knowingly accepting excessive contributions over the legal limit.
- Making prohibited cash disbursements—specifically, $7,000 worth of payments from a petty cash fund.
The commission noted that these findings were serious enough to warrant an agreement with Waters’ campaign to avoid court proceedings. That agreement includes the $68,000 fine and a requirement that the campaign’s treasurer attend an FEC-sponsored training program on how to run political committees lawfully.
In one of the legal documents, the FEC stated that “Respondent shall submit evidence of the required registration and attendance at such event,” reinforcing that the campaign needs to take corrective measures to avoid future violations.
Excuses, Excuses: Blaming the Pandemic
In an attempt to explain the violations, Leilani Beaver, Waters’ campaign attorney, claimed the errors were not intentional and were due to staffing challenges during the pandemic.
“The errors were primarily a result of limited staff availability and resources during the pandemic,” Beaver wrote in a letter to the FEC last year.
“The campaign acknowledges errors were made which were not willful or purposeful.”
But for many watching from the outside, the “COVID excuse” feels like a convenient way to dodge accountability—especially considering this isn’t the first time questions have been raised about Waters’ campaign finances.
$1 Million to Her Daughter?
As if the FEC fine wasn’t enough, Waters has faced ongoing criticism for funneling over $1 million to her daughter’s company, Progressive Connections, over the past two decades.
According to Breitbart News, Waters’ daughter, Karen Waters, was paid $8,000 in June 2022 alone for “slate mailer management fees” — a practice that has repeatedly raised red flags. The payments were part of a long-standing arrangement that has seen Progressive Connections earn more than $1 million from the campaign since 2003.
Slate mailers are essentially political advertising—printed brochures that endorse multiple candidates—which are legal in California. However, the optics of funneling campaign funds to family members continues to raise serious ethical concerns.
FEC Takes Rare Unanimous Action
In a rare moment of bipartisan agreement, the FEC voted 4-0 to approve the enforcement action on April 29, 2024. That vote came just before the commission entered a period of limited functionality after Republican Commissioner Allen Dickerson stepped down, leaving the agency without the quorum needed for high-level decisions.
The unanimous vote underscores the seriousness of the violations, even in a climate where the FEC is often divided along partisan lines.
Quick Recap:
- Waters’ campaign fined $68,000 by the FEC for multiple violations.
- Campaign accepted $19,000 in excessive donations and made $7,000 in illegal cash disbursements.
- Her treasurer must now attend training to prevent future violations.
- Waters’ daughter’s company has received over $1 million from her campaign since 2003.
- Waters’ attorney blames pandemic staffing shortages for the violations.
For years, Maxine Waters has been one of the loudest voices on Capitol Hill—often accusing others of corruption and demanding accountability. But now, it’s her own campaign under the microscope.
While the left often cries foul over campaign ethics and financial impropriety on the right, this case is a reminder that the rules apply to everyone—including those who have made careers out of criticizing their political opponents.
Will mainstream media hold her to the same standard they demand for Republicans? So far, most outlets have remained silent.
