Well, that didn’t take long.
Since joining the Senate last year, Raphael Warnock (D-GA) has doubled his income thanks to speaking fees, book deals, and other side hustles; less than half of his income last year came from his Senate salary, which may show you where his priorities lie.
Let’s take a look at Mr. Warnock’s finances, courtesy of The Washington Free Beacon. “Less than half of his income last year came from his Senate salary, which was $164,816. Ebenezer Baptist Church paid him an additional $120,964, including a $7,417-per-month housing allowance. Penguin Random House also paid him $243,750 as an advance on his memoir that was published in June, and he received $5,750 in speaking fees.”
Warnock once blasted his opponent, Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler, for “us[ing] the people’s seat to enrich yourself.”
But then Mr. Warnock went to Washington, so he’s singing a different tune now.
This news comes hot on the heels of a story last month that reported Warnock used campaign finances to fight personal lawsuits that, according to WFB, predated his time in office. The National Republican Senatorial Committee even filed an official complaint.
“Because the conduct that gave rise to the lawsuit occurred long before Warnock was a candidate for federal office, the conduct had nothing to do with Warnock’s now-status as a candidate and officeholder,” said the Committee’s complaint.
“Raphael Warnock cares more about himself than the people of Georgia. He has been trying to cash in on his job since day one,” a spokesman for Herschel Walker, the Republican challenging Warnock, told the Washington Free Beacon. “Warnock is always looking for another chance to use his position to make more money and misuse campaign funds.”
And while Senators are prohibited from accepting more than $29,000 in outside income, Warnock found a way to skirt the ethics rules and continue to enrich himself.
“Warnock was able to avoid ethics rules that prohibit lawmakers from earning over 15 percent of their income from outside employers through a unique financial agreement with the Ebenezer Baptist Church,” WFB reports. “His campaign said $89,000 of his salary from Ebenezer Baptist Church was a ‘personal parsonage allowance’ to pay for his housing, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
Warnock’s home in Atlanta is worth around $1 million, according to the AJC.
Hey Warnock, this you?
“I’m okay with the fact that [former opponent Kelly Loeffler] wants to make money, I just think you shouldn’t use the people’s seat to enrich yourself,” said Warnock during a debate.
“You ought to use the people’s seat to represent the people.”
Good point, candidate Warnock. If only Sen. Warnock agreed.
