[link removed] [[link removed]] APRIL 17, 2025
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Fraud alert: Thieves just stole big money from a dozen politicians and political committees
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Senate Majority Leader John Thune [[link removed]] (R-S.D.) may be one of the most powerful members of Congress. But even he is not immune from thieves who’ve been raiding the accounts of politicians and political committees with near-impunity.
Thune’s leadership political action committee, Heartland Values PAC [[link removed]] , lost $5,949 in a “check fraud” incident on Nov. 1, according to Federal Election Commission records [[link removed]] .
Thune’s office did not respond to a series of questions, but a source familiar with the theft confirmed the incident to OpenSecrets, adding: “The activity was quickly identified and reported, and it remains under investigation.”
Meanwhile, two-term Rep. Brittany Pettersen [[link removed]] (D-Utah) had a rough December. Her campaign disclosed 14 separate “fraudulent” debit card charges between Dec. 3 and Dec. 9, involving payments to Uber Eats [[link removed]] and Facebook [[link removed]] .
Total damage: about $600.
Pettersen’s congressional office did not respond to several emails and phone calls, but in a filing with the FEC, the Brittany Pettersen for Colorado campaign committee indicated [[link removed]] that its bank refunded the charges.
Thune and Pettersen are among more than a dozen elected leaders and federal political committees — conservative and liberal — that have lost three-, four- or five-figure sums from their campaign accounts because of theft, fraud, embezzlement, unauthorized charges or other financial shenanigans, according to an OpenSecrets analysis of federal campaign finance records filed since the November election.
These incidents add to dozens of other thefts this decade from political committees small and large, including those led by national parties, notable corporations, powerful lawmakers and even a president.
The stolen money — sometimes recovered, often not — has collectively soared into the millions of dollars.
And while that represents just a small fraction of the overall amount spent on federal elections — the 2024 federal election cost more than $15.9 billion [[link removed]] , according to an OpenSecrets analysis — the thefts hurt both the political committees themselves as well as donors, whose contributions ultimately pay for pilfered items ranging from luxury goods to Uber rides, not political advocacy.
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Democratic leadership profile: Hakeem Jeffries
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By Leonardi Pini
Selected by his fellow Democrats in November 2022 to be the party’s standard-bearer as House minority leader, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.) is the first Black person to hold the top leadership position in either chamber of Congress.
Elected to the House of Representatives in 2013, Jeffries rapidly became a prominent figure in the Congressional Black Caucus and chaired the House Democratic Caucus. He made criminal justice reform and gun violence prevention two of his key issues.
Follow the money
* Jeffries has run for federal office seven times since 2012, raising more than $38 million. [[link removed]] His biggest contributors have been pro-Israel political action committees [[link removed]] , in particular the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. AIPAC has raised more than $900,000 for him. Pro-Israel America PAC and NorPAC have bundled over $300,000 combined.
* Other major financial contributors include employees of Paul Weiss, the law firm where Jeffries worked before entering politics. They have given more than $300,000 [[link removed]] . And employees of Apollo Global Management [[link removed]] , one of the world’s largest private equity firms, have contributed almost $200,000.
* Paul Weiss has been in the news lately for striking an agreement with the Trump administration [[link removed]] after the president took aim at a number of law firms that employ Democrats and others who took part in investigations of Trump. Paul Weiss was targeted [[link removed]] in an executive order on March 14; as per the terms of the agreement, the firm will provide $40 million of pro bono work for the administration. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said in a post on social media [[link removed]] that “it is an absolute outrage that, in order to curry favor with Trump and continue making their billions, giant law firms like Paul Weiss have abrogated their responsibilities.”
* In the 2024 election cycle, Jeffries’ district was home to the second most expensive House race [[link removed]] with over $22 million. He spent just over $20 million, making it the fourth most expensive reelection [[link removed]] of the cycle. However, Jeffries faced only token opposition and was able to redirect much of that money to other Democratic candidates — a common practice among congressional leaders.
* Jeffries has his own Leadership PAC, Jobs, Education and Family First [[link removed]] , which started raising money in 2016. After raising only $12,000 for federal candidates that cycle, Jeffries’ PAC is now one of the largest in American politics. In the 2024 election, he was able to gather over $1.1 million [[link removed]] , becoming the third largest Democratic leadership PAC [[link removed]] and the eighth largest overall
* Despite Jeffries’ long history of supporting Israel and the American Jewish community, his PAC contributed to the campaigns of AIPAC’s critics [[link removed]] , such as Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Mich.) and Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.), during the 2022 election cycle [[link removed]] ,.
* Jeffries is also closely associated with the House Majority PAC [[link removed]] , a Carey committee [[link removed]] that combines aspects of PACs and super PACs. House Majority PAC has large donors such as corporate leaders Michael Bloomberg and Fred Eychaner and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker [[link removed]] .
* In 2021, alongside Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) and Terri Sewell (D-Ala.), Jeffries founded the Team Blue PAC [[link removed]] , with the focus of defending Democratic incumbents from more left-wing primary challengers, which sparked tensions between [[link removed]] Jeffries and progressive groups. The PAC contributed $69,000 to candidates in the 2022 election cycle and $2,000 in 2024.
Why It Matters [[link removed]]
Additional profiles
* Lee Zeldin [[link removed]] , EPA administrator
* [[link removed]] Howard Lutnick [[link removed]] , secretary of commerce
* Mike Waltz [[link removed]] , national security advisor
* Marco Rubio [[link removed]] , secretary of state
* Sean Duffy [[link removed]] , secretary of transportation
* Susie Wiles [[link removed]] , director national intelligence
* Tulsi Gabbard [[link removed]] , director national intelligence
* Kash Patel [[link removed]] , director of the FBI
* Kristi Noem [[link removed]] , secretary of homeland security
* Robert F. Kennedy Jr. [[link removed]] , secretary of health and human services
* Linda McMahon [[link removed]] , secretary of education
* Elise Stefanik [[link removed]] , ambassador to the United Nations
* Doug Burgum [[link removed]] , secretary of the interior
* Pete Hegseth [[link removed]] , secretary of defense
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What else we're reading
Trump administration to target university investments [[link removed]] (The Guardian)
Billionaire Bill Ackman Donates $250K to Pro-Cuomo Super PAC [[link removed]] (Politico)
DOJ Shifts Focus Away from Broad Anti-Corruption Efforts [[link removed]] (Transparency International)
Legal and Political Battles Over Climate Program Funds [[link removed]] (Politico)
OpenSecrets in the news
See our media citations from outlets around the nation this week:
Progressive Media Star Kat Abughazaleh Raised $378K for Congressional Campaign. Only a Small Fraction Came From Local Voters [[link removed]] ( WTTW )
Progressive media star Kat Abughazaleh has raised more than $378,000 to fuel her bid to oust U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, but only a fraction of that massive haul came from residents of Illinois’ 9th Congressional District, according to a WTTW News analysis. Abughazaleh, 26, who rose to prominence by making lively TikTok videos critiquing Fox News and Republicans, out raised Schakowsky, 80, during the first quarter of the year, according to reports filed Tuesday with the Federal Election Commission reflecting contributions between Jan. 1 and April 1.
Stefanik May Propel MAGA Stardom Into New York Governor’s Race [[link removed]] (MSN)
Stefanik raised $15.4 million in 2024, about triple the average for an incumbent House member, according to OpenSecrets. Among her biggest sources of funds were the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which directs its supporters to donate to pro-Israel candidates, and conservative groups. She was the top House recipient of donations from anti-abortion groups and ranked second in donations from backers of gun rights.
Ossoff raises record-breaking $11M for Senate reelect [[link removed]] (Politico)
The early fundraising haul is a show of force that could serve to keep some potential GOP challengers on the sideline, though the $11 million is certain to be only a drop in the bucket of the expected overall spending. Georgia’s 2022 Senate race won by Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock saw more than $515 million spent [[link removed]] by campaigns and outside groups, according to OpenSecrets.
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