Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters (Calif.) paid her daughter nearly $200,000 in campaign funds during the 2022 cycle, adding to a decades-long million-dollar operation between the mother and daughter.
In total, Karen Waters has received more than $1.2 million for ad services in the past two decades from her mother's and other California Democrats' campaigns, according to Fox News. The younger Waters's business creates so-called slate mailers, which promote a list of candidates running for different offices.
Waters is not new to questionable money dealings. She long defended Democratic megadonor Sam Bankman-Fried, who dished out at least $40 million to Democratic groups and lawmakers in the 2022 cycle. She praised Bankman-Fried, who faces charges of money laundering and financial fraud, for being "candid" about the downfall of crypto exchange FTX.
Several prominent Democrats have contributed to the Waters operation. Vice President Kamala Harris paid tens of thousands of dollars in campaign funds between 2010 and 2016 to appear on the slate mailings. Gov. Gavin Newsom has also paid Waters more than $40,000.
The practice is not common at the national level and critics say it hints at corruption, Fox News reported:
The practice is highly unusual on the federal level, and Waters appears to be the only national politician using it to grab committee cash. Slate mailers, however, are commonplace in her home state of California, though critics say it involves deceptive practices over one campaign paying another for a politician's backing in an election.