Democratic Rep. William Lacy Clay (Mo.) has paid his sister's law firm more than $100,000 from his campaign funds so far this year, Federal Election Commission filings show.
Nearly 65 percent of Rep. Clay's campaign expenditures have now gone to the firm this cycle.
Newly released Federal Election Commission filings show that Clay Jr. For Congress, the congressman's campaign committee, has generously compensated the Law Office of Michelle C. Clay LLC, a Silver Spring, Md.-based firm that is owned and operated by his sister, Michelle Clay.
The firm, which does not appear to have a website and lists a residential home as its address, was paid $26,000 during the third quarter, which runs from the beginning of July to the end of September.
Michelle's firm was given $8,500 on July 5 for fundraising and compliance services. The next month, on August 1, Michelle was paid $9,000 from Clay's campaign. The firm was paid an additional $9,000 on September 1 from her brother's campaign funds, filings show.
The campaign spent $50,000 during the third quarter, meaning that the $26,000 in payments that Clay paid his sister's firm accounts for more than half of the committee's expenditures during this time.
Close to 65 percent of all expenditures from Rep. Clay's campaign committee this year have gone to his sister's firm.
During the first quarter, which spans from Jan. 1 to March 31, Rep. Clay's committee paid the firm $27,000. Throughout the second quarter, from April 1 to June 30, the Law Office of Michelle Clay was paid $54,100. The firm has taken in a total of $107,000 in payments on the year.
The committee reports spending $164,908 this year with Michelle Clay's firm receiving a majority of all the money that has left her brother's campaign.
Rep. Clay has consistently paid thousands of dollars to a second company for fundraising services despite paying his sister's firm for the same thing.
Fraioli & Associates, a Washington, D.C.-based political campaign consulting firm dedicated to electing Democrats, received three payments for fundraising during the third quarter, records show. Fraioli & Associates received consistent payments for fundraising help throughout the year.
Michelle Clay has received more than $800,000 in payments from her brother's campaign since 2002, the Washington Free Beacon previously reported.
Rep. Clay's office did not return a request for comment on the payments to his sister's law firm by press time.