Thursday, March 7th, 2024
ARIZONA -– Kari Lake has used campaign donations to pay thousands of dollars to a business owned by Lake and her husband, according to a new report by the Copper Courier.
Lake’s financial disclosures have revealed “Lake spoke to ‘extremist’ Texas group and then misidentified them in a Senate filing” and “made $75,000 in speaking fees her campaign claimed she doesn’t charge.” And her recent Texas and Arizona fundraisers have come under scrutiny for being hosted by “fin-fluencers” and QAnon conspiracy adherents.
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Copper Courier: Kari Lake uses campaign donations to pay her family business, financial records show
By: Camaron Stevenson
March 6th, 2024
Key Points:
- Arizona US Senate Candidate Kari Lake’s recent financial disclosures reveal the former news anchor has taken advantage of both internal and external opportunities to increase her personal wealth.
- In addition to bringing in over $75,000 in speaking fees for appearances at political events in 2023, ZenVideo, a business owned by Lake and her husband, Jeff Halperin, was paid just over $8,000 from her campaign for video production services, according to the Federal Elections Commission.
- The payment shows a sharp rate increase from Lake’s campaign for governor. During her first run for office, Lake’s campaign paid ZenVideo $2,200 for its services for the entirety of the race. This time around, her campaign has used supporters’ donations to pay her family’s company nearly quadruple that for four months of work.
- Halperin is known to be a staple of Lake’s political work. Often seen at her side with a camera, his videos are used as social media posts to promote her campaigns. And, while Lake has solicited the services of other video production companies for her Senate run—$5,500 to AZ Media, Inc., and $550 to Charles Lemmon Cinematography—the lion’s share of her video production budget has been reserved for family.
- The tendency to keep campaign funds in the family was first noted by The Arizona Republic in 2022. But when Lake was asked by reporter Stacey Barchenger about whether she would keep taxpayer dollars separate from family bank accounts should she be elected to office, she sidestepped the question…
- In addition to speaking fees and production services, Lake’s political connections earned her a consulting contract with Superfeed Technologies that paid her over $100,000 over a 15-month span in 2021 and 2022. The company, which creates apps for right-leaning political organizations like Turning Point USA and the Arizona Republican Party (ARP), was led by former ARP chair Jeff DeWit during Lake’s tenure as a consultant.
- Lake also received a $100,000 advance payment from Winning Team Publishing for her 2023 book, “Unafraid.” Winning Team Publishing is known for distributing books by far-right media figures and politicians like Georgia US Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Fox News host Judge Jeanne Pirro.