Thread by @Villgecrazylady

⚡️Campaign Finance🧵: Adam Kinzinger

Have you ever wondered what becomes of socially awkward politicians with no marketable skills, aside from crying on cue, when they are gerrymandered out of public office?

Better yet, do you ever wonder what happens to all the leftover campaign $$ they bilked out of pussy-hat wearing cat ladies in the name of saving our Democracy™?

If the answer is yes, this one’s for you!

Prior to finding fame in the J6 fallout, the most remarkable thing about Mr. Kinzinger was just how unremarkable his congressional career had been.

Despite representing the reddest district in IL Kinzinger prided himself on being a bipartisan stooge at every turn.

He co-authored a few pieces of legislation, notably the 2016 Countering Foreign Propaganda and Disinformation Act, aimed at “stoping Russian interference into our elections” but that’s about it.

His fundraising efforts were decent but never excessive (using Congress’ standard). In his first 5 terms in office, Mr. Kinzinger never raised (green) more than $2.45 million (2020) across all of his campaign committees and he never spent (yellow) more than $2.53 million (2018).

However, as we all know, America was changed forever on that fateful day in January, 2021. Our Democracy™ was threatened and the burden to save it had fallen on the shoulders of men like Adam Kinzinger.

First step towards saving Democracy™? Opening a second JFC.

Unfortunately the Illinois state legislature had other plans & in Spring 2021 they redrew the IL district lines combining 2 R districts into 1. Rather than get into a grueling primary w the other Republican, Kinzinger announced on Oct 29, 2021 that he would not seek re-election.

Now normally this would be the end of the story; no re-election means no more campaign fundraising. Time to wrap it up and move along to K Street with all the other washed up politicians whoring themselves out to the highest special interest bidder.

But curiously enough, that’s not where our story ends. In fact, that’s where it just gets started. You see, Mr. Kinzinger had found himself quite the lucrative niche role to play in American politics following January 6: Republican Man of Conscience®

How lucrative, you ask? Well for the 2022 cycle Mr. Kinzinger tripled his previous record raising $6,728,851 across all committees. This, despite not running for reelection!

Wait. How was the even possible?

Behold the power of campaign committees!

10 days after announcing his retirement Kinzinger converted his new JFC into a Leadership PAC.

Now, he was free to continue raising $ in the name of saving Democracy™ by soliciting $ under the guise of helping Country First Patriots™ win elections across America!

So did he? Not exactly…

Despite raising $6.7 million in the 2022 cycle, Kinzinger gave only abt $140k across all committees to other candidates.

TBF: he needed to pay for the airplane hanger he was keeping his new plane in.

Yes friends, it appears you can not only bill your campaign to store your personal airplane, but you can also reimburse yourself for the miles you flew that plane (when conducting the business of your Leadership PAC, of course 😉)

Naturally no Republican campaign expenditure list would be complete without AT LEAST $1.5 million in consulting fees.

But hold on… Mr. Kinzinger wasn’t running a campaign… so why did he need $1.75 million in consulting?

Furthermore, why did Kinzinger’s Leadership PAC buy his campaign committee a new “campaign vehicle” a month before he left office?

Uhhh… HELLO FEC! Anyone home?!

Anyone care to check what happened to the *other* campaign car Kinzinger had? You know, the one he bought in 2020?

Then there’s the clubs… can’t forget the clubs! You see, when you become a Republican Man of Conscience® you get invited to join ALL the swanky DC social clubs… but it ain’t cheap

Kinzinger billed his principal campaign $25,000 for his membership to Capitol Hill Club.

And another $40,000 fee to join the “Former Members of Congress Club”

$65,000 in membership dues to private clubs… weird… I could’ve sworn the FEC said this was a no-no?

So clearly Kinzinger was living it up in his last year in office… but what happened next?

Well despite his wild spending sprees, Mr. Kinzinger still left office with a LOT of money leftover.

$3,344,001 to be exact

(He came into the 2022 cycle with $1.5 million on hand)

Turns out those nationally televised, prime time hearings he & his staff scripted and directed were quite a hit with donor crowd because the money never seemed to stop flowing for Mr. Kinzinger. It’s truly impressive.

First step when leaving office with $2.4 million still in your principal campaign committee? Convert that committee into another PAC.

2nd step: transfer $2 mil to your 1st Leadership PAC

And $250k to your other leadership PAC

3rd: sprinkle $150k to randos

Now that the money is freed from those pesky campaign committee rules, things get a lot less… restrictive.

But that doesn’t mean there won’t be expenses… that airplane isn’t gonna store itself!

There’s the $21,000 in airfare mileage reimbursements on top of the $60,000 in regular airfare…

The $16,000 in “travel expenses”

Plus hotels, meals, and OFC CONSULTANTS!!

Okay but still… where did the REST of the money go? Well my friend, allow me to introduce you to the next layer of campaign finance slime…

the 501(c)3 and 501(c)4

aka: nonprofits

aka: THE BLACK HOLE

Mr. Kinzinger did one more thing before leaving office, he opened a 501(c)3, under the name Country First Foundation, using the same mailing address as his leadership PACs, and he was granted tax-exempt status from the IRS on 3/13/23 (effective 6/9/22)

In 2023 Kinzinger transferred $415,000 into Country First Foundation

and another $348,546 to an entity called “Country First Action” that uses the same mailing addresses as his Leadership PACs and 501(c)3

but Country First Action isn’t registered separately w the IRS, so…

GuideStar has a profile for Country First Foundation which is how we know that Mr. Kinzinger chose Austin Weatherford to run it.

Who is Austin Weatherford you ask?

Well, Mr. Weatherford is Kinzingers former chief of staff, but more importantly, according to his own website

“…Weatherford played a key role in producing, editing, scripting and advising on the televised hearings of the US House Select Committee on the January 6 attack”

Isn’t that convenient? Help the Biden administration pull off a televised smear of the MAGA crowd and in exchange you get to head up a BS nonprofit, seeded with close to half a million from your old boss!

Good work if you’re not partial to your soul.

Stay tuned for Part II tomorrow!

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