It's not even Thanksgiving yet, and Democrats are already raiding the dinner table. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is using her Thanksgiving turkey drive to stuff her campaign coffers. AOC sent out a fundraising email this month seeking donations to help needy families for Thanksgiving, but the link sends donors to the Democrats' campaign website ActBlue. It also includes the disclaimer that the email is "paid for by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for Congress." In other words, AOC is using her campaign as the middleman to collect people's charitable donations. She is saying give us your money and we'll make sure it goes to help needy families.
"It's a bait-and-switch," says Daniel Betts, Texas attorney and Congressional candidate. "Part of the reason you would do this if you were a politician trying to be shady is you're not under any obligation to report how much of that money was actually given to the charity...we don't know if any of that money is going to make it to turkeys for families in need. And in a year like this, families actually are in need, so that makes it even more problematic."
Another reason AOC and Dems are doing this is the party is notably strapped for cash after burning billions on Kamala Harris' failed presidential campaign. Earlier this year, they used the Texas redistricting battle to fundraise. But using a political fight to raise money is one thing...using a holiday charity giveaway is something else. "It's not technically illegal, so I don't think there is a criminal offense here," says Betts. "But regardless, this is the type of thing that undermines confidence in our politicians and takes advantage of people's charity."
"It's a bad look, for sure."
Photo: Getty Images North America