(NewsGlobal.com)- Election filings have shown that Democratic Representative James Clyburn of South Carolina funneled loads of money from his campaign to two members of his family during the last election cycle.
The congressman, who has served in Washington for a while and was part of the last Democratic leadership team, gave tens of thousands of dollars to a company that his son-in-law is linked to. Records from the Federal Elections Commission also show that he gave almost $100,000 to his grandson.
It’s actually legal for Washington politicians to give money to members of their family that’s taken from campaign funds. However, many ethics experts agree that it’s not a good practice. Yet, members from both sides of the aisle partake in this perk of being a federal politician.
Among the payments Clyburn’s campaign gave to family members in the 2022 election cycle alone are $57,500 that was given to a company called 49 Magnolia Blossom LLC, which was for expenses related to rent. Jennifer Clyburn Reed, the congressman’s daughter, has close ties to that company.
The registered agent of that South Carolina-based LLC is Walter A. Reed, who is Jennifer’s husband.
In addition, Walter A.C. Reed, Clyburn’s grandson, was given $94,000 in what were termed campaign management fees, according to the FEC filings.
Clyburn seemingly is able to do all of this because he hasn’t faced much of a serious threat to his seat in the House since he was first elected to represent the 6th congressional district in South Carolina way back in 1993. He’s won multiple re-elections handily, and until this new Congress, he was serving as one of the highest-ranking Democrats.
Clyburn played a pivotal role in helping President Joe Biden get elected back in 2020. His influence helped to flip South Carolina blue during that election, which helped Biden capture the White House from former President Donald Trump.
As a show of thanks, Biden nominated Clyburn’s daughter to serve as the federal co-chair of the Southeast Crescent Regional Commission back in 2021. Clyburn Reed is a former teacher.
She was narrowly approved to serve in the role in December of 2021. The commission is focused on helping people from the southeastern U.S. who face economic hardship.
All told, Clyburn has stood by Biden, for obvious reasons. He’s already endorsed him for a re-election bid in 2024, even though the president hasn’t officially announced whether he will run again.
In a recent interview with Robert Costa for CBS, Clyburn said:
“I’m all-in for President Biden. I think he’s demonstrated, in these two years … that he is deserving of re-election. And I do believe he will be re-elected irrespective of who the Republicans, they put up.”
When the new Congress was seated earlier this year, Clyburn stepped back a bit from his leadership role in the Democratic Party. He is currently serving as the assistant Democratic leader, as he and many of the other former leaders of the party allowed a younger generation of representatives to take charge.
