Member of Ocasio-Cortez’s Squad Received Thousands From Donor – Who’s Been Dead for 10 Years

Records show Rep. Rashida Tlaib, a freshman congresswoman and one of the members of the progressive dream team known as the “Squad,” received a donation in the name of a man who has been dead for more than 10 years.

Knowingly making campaign contributions in the name of another person is illegal and carries a maximum penalty of “five years in prison and a fine of not less than 300 percent of the amount involved in the violation and not more than the greater of $50,000 or 1,000 percent of the amount involved in the violation.”

In June, Tlaib’s campaign committee accepted a $2,500 donation made in the name of businessman George S. Farah Sr., the Washington Free Beacon, citing Federal Election Commission filings, reported.

Farah was one of the dozens of individuals who donated to Rashida Tlaib for Congress between April 1 and June 30.

According to a Michigan Live article, Farah died of heart failure in 2009.

Rep. Dan Kildee, a fellow Michigan Democrat, also received a donation from Farah following his death. During the 2012 election cycle, Kildee received $1,400 in contributions made in Farah’s name.

A spokesman for Kildee told the Free Beacon that the contributions from Farah should have been designated under his still-living wife’s name.

“Gisele Farah is the sole beneficiary of a trust in her late husband’s name, George S. Farah Sr., who passed away in 2009,” the spokesman said. “Since his death, Gisele Farah, as the sole beneficiary in control of the trust, has contributed to the campaign with funds from her trust. Our campaign’s records have been amended to clarify that the campaign contributions were from Gisele Farah and should be designated under her name.”

Tlaib’s office did not immediately return Pluralist’s request for comment.

Donations from beyond the grave and zombie voter fraud

A USA Today analysis published in 2013 found that dead people gave nearly $600,000 to political candidates and campaigns since 2009.

The issue of voter fraud has arguably taken on partisan dimensions in recent years. Writing in liberal outlet The Daily Beast last year, reporter Kelly Weill catalogued right-wing pundits’ claims ahead of November midterm elections that the “dead are committing voter fraud.”

On this, Judgement Day, the graves shall open and the dead rise to walk the earth once again and vote for Democrats.

— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) November 6, 2018

Citing studies by institutes such as the non-partisan Brennan Center for Justice, Weill argued that “actual instances of voter fraud are rare to the point of being nonexistent.”

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