‘The grittiest grifters’: Mark Meadows joins the list of Trumpers caught with a hand in the cookie jar

Mark Meadows smiling at an event

Flickr / Gage Skidmore

The first thing that pops into nobody’s mind when they hear campaign spending, is “cupcakes.”

But then Mark Meadows came along and caused a media storm with the findings that his campaign and leadership PAC spent a whopping $75,000 on personal items, including gourmet cupcakes, a cell phone bill, groceries, and restaurant meals—not to mention the thousands that went to a Washington jeweler.

$60,000 to not get re-elected

A photograph of a few dollar bills.

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The filings by the Federal Election Committee were first reported by Salon. In late December, Mark Meadows declared he would not run for re-election for his congressional seat in North Carolina, but his campaign continued to spend over $60,000 before being converted into a leadership PAC: “Freedom FIrst.”

‘Cupcakes first’

A hand holding a cupcake with teal frosting

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Since its formation in July, the Freedom First PAC has burnt through $14,000. According to the FEC filings, the political action committee saw it prudent to purchase cupcakes, shop at Costco, and reserve rooms at the Trump International Tower.

According to the FEC, “Using campaign funds for personal use is prohibited.”

Hand-picked successor has ties to spending

Hand holding out to catch money

Pixabay

The name of Lynda Bennet is dubiously tied to the campaign spending. Months before Meadows announced his retirement, his brother set up a campaign website for Bennet.

His hand-picked successor lost the primary, but not before Meadows gave campaign associate Henry Mitchell $2,300 for a “consulting fee.”

‘Printed materials’ from a jewelry store?

Jewelry on a wooden table

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The day that Mark Meadows left Congress (having already announced his retirement months prior) he spent thousands of dollars at Ann Hand jeweler in Washington D.C. Why? He needed “printed materials.”

Jewelers are the same as stationery shops, right?

At the Republican National Convention, it appeared that Mrs.Meadows was wearing a necklace very similar to those sold by Ann Hand. Twitter did the math.

Meadows joins the back of a long line of Trump Grifters

Trump waving on stage surrounded by his family

Wikipedia

In August, CNBC updated the list of former Trump associates who are in jail or facing prison sentences. Steve Bannon was found guilty of defrauding hundreds of thousands of donors for his personal gain. Roger Stone, long-time friend and ally of Trump, was arrested on seven counts related to the probe of Trump-Russia ties, including lying to Congress.

In March, Republican Duncan Hunters was sentenced to 11 months in prison for using campaign funds for personal expenses. Meadows could be adding his name to this ever-increasing list of grifters.


Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics is a watchdog in Washington D.C. Jordan Libowitz represents the group and stated the FEC findings “raises serious questions” about the intention of the spending.

Imagine a White House that wasn’t full of criminals?

Biden standing with a microphone

Flickr / Gage Skidmore

As Twitter reminded us, it doesn’t have to be this way:

On a positive note, despite the rising unemployment across the nation due to the President’s mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic, it looks like there will be plenty of jobs for lawyers in Washington D.C.

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