{"id":2076506,"date":"2023-10-23T13:01:02","date_gmt":"2023-10-23T17:01:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bernie-sanders-siphons-off-75000-in-campaign-donations-to-family-organization\/"},"modified":"2023-10-23T13:04:31","modified_gmt":"2023-10-23T17:04:31","slug":"bernie-sanders-siphons-off-75000-in-campaign-donations-to-family-organization","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bernie-sanders-siphons-off-75000-in-campaign-donations-to-family-organization\/","title":{"rendered":"Bernie Sanders diverts $75,000 from campaign funds to family organization."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fbernie-sanders-siphons-off-75000-in-campaign-donations-to-family-organization%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2076506&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Sen. \u200cBernie \u2063Sanders\u200b Transfers $75,000 \u2062to Family-Run \u200bThink Tank<\/h2>\n<p>Sen. Bernie Sanders \u2064(I-VT) has raised eyebrows by moving a\u200b substantial amount of\u200d money \u200bfrom his\u2064 campaign funds to a think tank founded by\u2062 his wife and stepson. According to Federal Election Commission\u200c records, a cash transfer of $75,000 was made to the Sanders\u2063 Institute on Aug. 8, labeled as \u200da\u200b &#8220;charitable donation.&#8221; While not \u200billegal, this practice of politicians funneling campaign \u2064funds to relatives has\u200b long been criticized for the potential of powerful families benefiting from donor money.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;The fact that the group is run\u200d by family is one of \u200dthe things that encourages advance scrutiny,&#8221; said Dan Backer,\u200d a Republican campaign\u200d finance lawyer.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The purpose of \u200dthe $75,000 transfer within the \u2063think tank\u2063 remains unclear, as the Sanders\u200b Institute did not provide a \u200ccomment. Established in the aftermath of Sanders&#8217; unsuccessful 2016 presidential campaign, the think tank briefly shut\u200c down during his 2020 White House bid to avoid any appearance \u2063of \u200bimpropriety, according to \u200bJane Sanders.<\/p>\n<h3>Mission and\u200b Financial\u200c Disclosures<\/h3>\n<p>The Sanders Institute aims to promote progressive solutions to economic, environmental, racial, and \u200d<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/5-virtue-signaling-corporations-trying-to-prove-their-wokeness\/\" title=\"5 Virtue Signaling Corporations Trying To Prove Their \u2018Wokeness\u2019\">social justice issues<\/a>\u2062 by actively engaging \u200cindividuals, organizations, and the media, as stated \u200cin its \u2062mission statement.\u200c Financial disclosures reveal that\u200b David Driscoll, a board member, received\u200d over $152,000\u200b in compensation for an \u200baverage of 40 hours per week, while \u2064other \u200bboard \u200dmembers were unpaid.<\/p>\n<p>In\u2063 2021, the think tank reported a \u2063revenue\u2062 of over\u200c $716,000 and expenditures of approximately $373,000. Notably, some of its resources have been allocated to \u2063enhancing the\u200b senator&#8217;s image, such \u2064as a\u200d $160,000 &#8220;timeline \u2064project&#8221; on the website showcasing \u200chis work over \u2062four decades \u200din various policy areas.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, the\u2062 Sanders Institute has not\u2062 disclosed its\u2064 grants to\u200c like-minded organizations in its most recent publicly available tax forms. This \u200crevelation follows previous reports of the senator&#8217;s \u200ccampaign donating $200,000\u200c to the think tank between January and March, also labeled as &#8220;charitable donations.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>In addition\u2062 to the\u2063 campaign contributions, the think tank received\u200c a $350,000\u200b grant \u200cfrom a nonprofit organization directed by\u2064 James M.\u200b Walton, son of James Carr Walton, an heir to the Walmart fortune. These two donations\u2064 accounted for 84% of the think tank&#8217;s total \u2062revenue in 2021.<\/p>\n<p>The Sanders campaign \u200cdid\u200d not respond to\u2064 a request for comment.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Click here to\u2062 read more from the Washington Examiner.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> What\u2064 are the potential risks of politicians supporting family-run institutes with campaign funds? <\/h2>\n<p><span>  Vid Primo, a professor of political \u2063science at the University of Rochester. &#8220;Even if the money is spent in a legitimate and transparent manner, it can create a perception of impropriety.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The Sanders Institute, which was founded \u2064in 2017 by Jane O&#8217;Meara Sanders, wife\u200c of Sen. Sanders, and her son David Driscoll, describes itself as a think tank focused on progressive policies. Its mission is to &#8220;revitalize democracy by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bernie-sanders-caught-funneling-large-sums-of-campaign-cash-to-wife-stepsons-nonprofit\/\" title=\"Bernie Sanders funneled campaign funds to wife and stepson's nonprofit.\">actively engaging individuals<\/a>, organizations, and the media in the\u2063 pursuit of progressive solutions to \u200ceconomic, environmental, racial, and social justice issues.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>While there is nothing inherently wrong with politicians supporting think tanks or\u200b other charitable organizations, the transfer of such a large sum of money to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bernie-sanders-siphons-off-75000-in-campaign-donations-to-family-organization\/\" title=\"Bernie Sanders diverts ,000 from campaign funds to family organization.\">family-run institute raises questions<\/a> about transparency\u200d and \u200baccountability. Critics argue that this kind of arrangement could potentially be exploited by powerful families to divert campaign\u200c funds for personal gain.<\/p>\n<p>It is worth noting that this is not the first time\u2062 Sen. Sanders has come under scrutiny\u200b for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-white-house-flack-blasted-for-post-on-chinese-wire-transfers\/\" title=\"Biden's White House spokesperson criticized for Chinese wire transfer post.\">financial \u2064transactions involving<\/a> his \u200cfamily. During his\u200d 2016 presidential campaign, he faced criticism\u2063 for hiring his\u2063 wife and stepson as campaign consultants, further fueling concerns about nepotism and favoritism.<\/p>\n<p>Supporters of the senator argue that the transfer of funds to the Sanders Institute is a legitimate way for him to\u2064 advance his policy agenda. They contend that the senator&#8217;s commitment to progressive causes is well-established, and that \u200cthe think tank serves as a vehicle for promoting these values.<\/p>\n<p>However, critics\u200c argue that politicians should be cautious when it comes\u2062 to \u2063directing campaign funds to family members, as it can create conflicts of interest\u200c and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/american-medical-association-blasted-after-calling-for-removing-sex-from-birth-certificates\/\" title=\"American Medical Association Blasted After Calling For Removing Sex From Birth Certificates\">undermine public trust<\/a>. They argue that campaign funds should be used solely for campaign-related activities and not channeled\u2064 to organizations\u200d that have personal ties to the politician or their family.<\/p>\n<p>While the transfer of funds to the\u200d Sanders Institute is not illegal, it does \u2062raise concerns\u2062 about the use of campaign funds for personal purposes. The public deserves transparency \u200band accountability from their elected representatives, and any financial\u2064 transactions involving family members should be subject to\u2063 scrutiny.<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, it is up to the voters to decide whether they find these financial transactions acceptable \u2062or troubling. However, it is crucial for politicians to maintain the highest ethical standards and ensure that their\u2062 actions do not create the perception of impropriety or abuse of power. Only then can we have\u200d confidence in the integrity \u2063of our political system.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) transferred $75,000 from his campaign funds to the Sanders Institute, a &#8220;progressive&#8221; think tank founded by him in 2017. The Federal Election Commission records reveal this cash transfer, listed as a &#8220;charitable donation,&#8221; benefiting his wife and stepson.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2076507,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2076506","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2076506","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2076506"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2076506\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2076507"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2076506"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2076506"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2076506"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}