Republican Political Scandals List
Displaying 201 - 300 of 423 Scandals
Sorted by When News Broke
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Laurie SmithFmr. Sheriff [R-CA]52 Years in GOP
11/03/22Raked in thousands of dollars in illegal campaign donations and accepted gifts including a suite at an NHL game from wealthy donors in exchange for special treatment helping them obtain concealed weapons permits that her office was in charge of approving
Allegedly according to reporting from credible media outlets -
10/03/22Kept secret credible sexual assault allegations against the Republican Secretary of State for over a month ostensibly to protect him
According to an exclusive report by The Statehouse File -
10/03/22According to investigative report by AL.com -
9/28/22Falsely claimed he was a combat veteran who served under "tough" conditions in the Afghanistan War, but military records show he never actually deployed to Afghanistan and instead spent six months loading planes on a military base in Qatar over 1,000 miles away from the fighting
According to military records obtained by The Associated Press -
David EstensonFmr. State Sen. Nominee
9/20/22Unsuccessfully tried to coax a 20-year-old female he illegally provided alcohol to into giving him sexual favors if she wanted to avoid an underage drinking ticket after he got caught with her in a bar and had to save face because he was a police officer
9/20/22Threatened to plant illegal contraband in his 19-year-old lady friend's car if she ever told anyone about their sexual escapades that sometimes took place while he was on duty at police headquarters
According to an exclusive report by the Trempealeau County Times -
Merrill NelsonFmr. State Representative
9/08/22Convinced a Mormon bishop to keep allegations of child sexual abuse by a member of his church against his daughters secret under false pretenses that he could be sued if he did even though state law in Arizona -- where the alleged abuse took place -- specifically protects people who report child abuse, which allowed the abuse to continue for a number of years
According to court records reported by mainstream outlets -
Aileen CannonFederal Judge [R]
9/05/22Issued an egregiously bad ruling that helped protect Donald Trump by hamstringing the FBI's ability to reclaim classified government documents he illegally took with him to Mar-a-Lago by appointing a "special master" to review the documents before they could examine them further which was later overturned unanimously by one of the most conservative appeals courts in the country
According to a ruling in Trump's favor handed down by Judge Cannon -
Joe MartinezFmr. County Commissioner
8/31/22Accepted three $5k checks from a local business owner in exchange for a proposing an ordinance that would personally benefit them
According to charging documents filed by local officials -
David RiveraFmr. U.S. Representative
8/20/22Failed to report hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of taxable income to the government and siphoned even more to himself through a PAC that he earned from working as an unregistered foreign agent and lobbyist for the Venezuelan government
According to charging documents filed by federal officials -
Bubba JonesFmr. Sheriff [R-KY]
8/11/22Was indicted for official misconduct in office and tampering with a witness in an apparent attempt to cover his tracks
According to a plea deal reached with state authorities -
Paul ManniFmr. City Council Nominee
8/09/22Forged signatures on at least nine absentee voter applications for people who were unaware he was submitting the request and lied to the county clerk by attesting he had permission to deliver the applications
According to charging documents filed by local officials -
Matthew LeveridgeState's Attorney [R-KY]
8/03/22Impregnated a criminal defendant his office prosecuted sometime during their two-month affair and then rescinded her pretrial diversion agreement presumably out of payback for telling his wife about the affair and baby
8/03/22Engaged in an extramarital affair with a woman who was serving jury duty in the court he was prosecuting cases in and would often boast to her that he "don't have no boss" who could reprimand him for it
Had an extramarital affair with a probation officer who worked closely with defendants he presumably could have secured convictions on which makes him vulnerable to claims of bias in court
According to a report by The Daily Beast -
Jonathan YoungState Judge [R-TN]
7/31/22Had sex with a married woman who was actively involved in a case in his courtroom and didn't recuse himself or disclose his behavior
According to a ruling by the TN board of Judicial Conduct that suspended Young for the remainder of his term -
Richard ImpallariaFmr. State Representative
7/27/22Illegally paid $92,800 in taxpayer funds to his legislative aide's relatives to pay for rent at two cottages located well outside his district by falsely declaring that one cottage was his district office which entitled him to a taxpayer funded stipend
According to charging documents filed by local police -
7/19/22Used his influence as a US Rep. to convince a judge to order the arrest and jailing of the husband of a woman he was having an extramarital affair with on bogus kidnapping charges so he could continue seeing her unabated
According to an exclusive report by the Charleston Post and Courier -
7/10/22Secretly paid over $12 million to four women to keep them from going public with their allegations of sexual misconduct and made each of them sign a nondisclosure agreement to ensure their accusations never saw the light of day
According to news reports from credible media outlets -
Mark ThompsonCounty Commissioner [R-MO]
6/29/22Stole a lawn sign that belonged to a political opponent of his while driving in a truck owned by county taxpayers mere months after being caught on video stealing the same opponent's sign from the parking lot of a private business
According to charging documents filed by local officials -
Frederick FrazierFmr. State Representative
6/25/22Impersonated a city compliance officer on at least two occasions so he could order people to remove campaign signs his opponent had displayed at local businesses while also portraying himself as a fierce defender of law and order
According to charging documents filed by local police -
Dan SnyderNFL OwnerDonated $1.1m to Trump's 1st inaugural
6/21/22Secretly paid $1.6 million to a female Washington Commanders employee who accused him of sexual assault in order to keep her from going public with her allegations
According to an exclusive report by The Washington Post -
Donald Trump47th U.S. President




162.3m
6/18/22Strongly hinted that he would pardon people convicted of crimes related to the 1/6 insurrection by saying he'll be "looking at them very, very seriously," but only if they didn't cooperate with authorities
According to a speech he gave that was covered by multiple outlets -


1.1mLauded by Trump
5/26/22Unlawfully destroyed official documents in burn bags -- to the point that his wife complained to top Trump aide Cassidy Hutchinson that "all of his suits smell like a bonfire" -- and flushed others down the toilet in violation of a federal law that mandates all of a President's records must be sent to the National Archives presumably to cover up some sort of misconduct
According to testimony given by one of his top aides to the January 6th select committee -
5/23/22Used $1,929.07 in campaign funds to pay for 11 months' worth of dues to gain "unlimited access" to a private social and dining club located in Texas
According to a report released by the nonpartisan House Ethics CommitteeSpent $3,147.06 in campaign funds to pay for an extravagant dinner at a private social and dining club that the nonpartisan Office of Congressional Ethics reported was likely a personal expense and not a fundraising event as he claimed
According to news reports from credible media outlets -
5/19/22Exposed his erect penis and rubbed his massage therapists' leg without consent before offering to buy her a horse if she agreed to give him an erotic massage which she declined
Musk's company SpaceX paid the woman $250,000 and made her sign a nondisclosure agreement -
John OxendineFmr. Commissioner [R-GA]
5/12/22Spent roughly $100,000 in campaign donations on personal expenses that included a down payment on a home, luxury cars and childcare expenses
According to a complaint filed by the Georgia Ethics Commission which he settled by agreeing to forfeit $128,000 dollars left in his campaign account without admitting any guilt -



338kMAGA Enthusiast
4/10/22Accepted a $2 billion investment from a major investment fund managed by the crown prince of Saudi Arabia -- a major Trump ally during his Administration -- mere months after he stopped working at the Trump White House
According to previously undisclosed documents obtained by The New York Times -
Donald Trump47th U.S. President




162.3m
4/08/22Failed to disclose gifts he received from foreign governments in 2020 in a clear violation of the Constitutional ban explicatively prohibiting Presidents from accepting gifts from foreign leaders without Congressional approval
According to an official report from the State Department -
Brian YoungFmr. City Council Member
4/06/22Illegally voted in multiple elections and even represented a district he didn't actually live in after using his parents address as his own on his voter registration
According to charging documents filed by local officials -
Paul KennedyFmr. Mayor [R-NJ]
3/18/22Stole an unknown amount from parking meters that was supposed to be deposited into a government bank account and sold government office furniture through a social media account with the intention of keeping the money he made from the sale
According to charging documents filed by local police -
Robin SmithFmr. State Representative
3/07/22Accepted a $24,000 bribe in exchange for encouraging fellow state lawmakers to contract with a fake consulting company the state speaker of the house created
She pled guilty to wire fraud and agreed to become a cooperating witness for the prosecution -


1.1mLauded by Trump
3/06/22Registered to vote from NC mobile home he never visited in violation of state law that says it's illegal to vote from an address where you are not a legal resident
According to an investigative report by The New Yorker -
3/05/22Broke security protocols by sharing live images of a briefing U.S. Representatives & Senators had with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy despite being asked not to share any posts or images until the meeting had concluded
According to reporting by NBC News & other media outlets -
Donald Trump47th U.S. President




162.3m
2/05/22Unlawfully destroyed official documents in burn bags and by ripping them up and flushing them down the toilet in violation of a federal law that mandates all of a President's records must be sent to the National Archives
According to an investigative report by The New York Times -
Terry O'DonnellFmr. State Representative
12/17/21Used his stature as the second highest-ranking member of the state senate to push through legislation that he knew would have a direct positive impact on his wife's finances she otherwise would not have been able to pursue if the law weren't changed
According to charging documents filed by local officials -
Donald HartleConservative Businesss Person
11/16/21
According to charging documents filed by state officials -
11/05/21
According to charging documents filed by local officials -
Gilbert BakerFmr. State Senator [R-AR]
10/23/21Pocketed at least $6k to facilitate a bribe between the owner of a nursing home and a judge with an active case that involved the nursing home before his court
According to charging documents filed by federal officials -
Mike MaggioFmr. State Judge [R-AR]
10/23/21Accepted an illegal $24k campaign donation from the owner of a nursing home with an active case before his court and tried to obfuscate its origins by teaming with a coconspirator and former Republican state senator to act as an intermediary and then one day later drastically reduced the amount the nursing home was ordered to pay a family for gross negligence from $5.2 million to $1 million
According to charging documents filed by federal officials -
Craig PierceCommissioner [R-NC]
10/18/21Swerved in and out of his lane while driving 50-mph in a 35-mph zone and went on a profanity-laden rant against his arresting officers where he threatened to get them fired and self-assuredly said he was going to call in political favors to make his charges disappear and when in custody took a breathalyzer test which was more than three times the legal limit
According to charging documents filed by local police -
James SnyderFmr. Mayor [R-IN]
10/13/21Accepted $13,000 from a trucking company in exchange for awarding them over $1 million in city contracts
According to charging documents filed by federal officials -
Jesse BentonFmr. Mitch McConnell Campaign Mgr.
9/20/21Funneled $25,000 of a Russian oligarch's money to the Trump 2016 campaign in exchange for a ticket and access to Trump during a Republican National Committee event
According to charging documents filed by federal prosecutors -
McCrae DowlessFmr. Political Operative
9/02/21Illegally collected Social Security Disability and retirement benefits from the government by neglecting to inform them about the more than $132,000 he earned working on political campaigns which would have drastically reduced the number of benefits he would have been eligible for
According to charging documents filed by federal officials -
8/03/21Pardoned a husband-wife duo who pointed an assault-style rifle and handgun at a group of Black Lives Matter protesters who were peacefully marching near their home even after they told reporters that they didn't regret their actions and promised they would do it again if it came to it
According to reports filed by mainstream media -
Jason EllsworthState Senator [R-MT]
8/02/21Verbally accosted a police officer who issued him a written warning for driving 88 mph in a 55-mph zone and then tried to get out of trouble by claiming legislative immunity even though the state legislature had adjourned nearly a month before he was pulled over and went so far as threatening to call the state AG and reporting the officer for simply doing his job
According to charging documents filed by local officials -
Frederick GattusoFmr. Mayor Nominee [R-NJ]
7/29/21
According to charging documents filed by local police -




6.5mLauded by Trump
7/13/21Routinely harassed Fox News producer Andrea Mackris with graphic sexual conversations at work and over the phone where he made her listen to all of his sexual fantasies about the two of them together while also being married and later paid her $9 million to resolve a sexual harassment lawsuit that she brought against him
According to a settlement agreement reached between O'Reilly and his accuser -
Michael WalkerFmr. County Commissioner
5/27/21Used $30,000 in county funds to repair the private road he lived on that wasn't supposed to be maintained by the county
According to charging documents filed by local officials -
5/14/21Snorted cocaine with a paid escort he also presumably had sex with inside an Orlando hotel room he paid for with campaign funds
According to two eyewitnesses who spoke exclusively with The Daily Beast -
Donald Trump47th U.S. President




162.3m
3/15/21Pressured Georgia's Secretary of State to illegally "find 11,780 votes" that would overturn Joe Biden's 2020 victory in the state
According to the recording of a conversation between Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger obtained by The Washington Post -
Couy GriffinFmr. County Commissioner
2/12/21Improperly charged taxpayers $3,200 to reimburse him for a personal trip to visit Donald Trump in Washington, D.C. without providing any receipts to prove that he did county business during the trip
According to an investigative report by the Attorney General of New Mexico -
2/11/21Accepted thousands of dollars' worth of home remodeling and repairs in addition to securing employment for a woman he was having an affair with from wealthy real estate developer Nate Paul in exchange for investigating Paul's business adversaries and helping him settle a lawsuit in his favor
According to an official complaint filed by seven of Paxton's top aides -
Sam McCannFmr. State Senator [R-IL]
2/03/21Spent over $600,000 in campaign funds on personal expenses including his mortgage, paying off personal loans, multiple vehicles, a motor home, family vacations and a host of other things that had nothing to do with his campaign
According to charging documents filed by federal prosecutors -
Donald Trump47th U.S. President




162.3m
1/26/21Commuted the life sentence of a drug kingpin who was imprisoned for his role in the killing of an undercover police officer and who was later sent to jail after being convicted for strangling his wife
1/20/21Pardoned his former top-adviser Steve Bannon before his case went to trial for stealing one million dollars from donors to an online charity fundraiser that he promised would go towards building a wall on the southern border
According to news reports from credible media outletsPardoned Republican mayor of Mettawa, IL and brother of famed NFL player Brian Urlacher who was charged with being a leader of a multi-million dollar illegal offshore sports gambling ring led by the Chicago mob after personally meeting with the former player at the White House and before the case against his brother had concluded
According to news reports from credible media outletsPardoned former Republican Rep. Rick Renzi who served time in prison for corruption giving credence to a public relations campaign he led that baselessly accused the DOJ of wrongfully imprisoning him
According to news reports from credible media outletsPardoned former Republican Rep. Robin Hayes who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his role in a $1.5 million bribery scheme following a request from Republican Senator Thom Tillis
Pardoned notorious former Republican Rep. Duke Cunningham who served an eight-year prison sentence for raking in $2.4 million in bribes from defense contractors
According to news reports from credible media outlets
1/06/21Incited the January 6th insurrection on the Capitol by fomenting a large crowd into a frenzy and directing them to do whatever they can to stop the certification of Joe Biden's 2020 presidential victory
He was impeached by a bipartisan majority in the House, but the Senate fell 10 votes short of convicting him
12/30/20Pardoned four Blackwater security contractor criminals after serving only a little over a year of long sentences (three 15-year and one life) for murdering 14 Iraqi civilians and injuring 20 more of which George W. Bush's appointed commander of the Iraq war at the time General Petraeus called "hugely damaging, an action that tells the world that Americans abroad can commit the most heinous crimes with impunity"
12/24/20Honored a request from Senator Rand Paul to pardon two aides who worked on his father Ron's 2012 Presidential campaign and were convicted for bribing a state senator $73,000 to change his vote in the Iowa caucuses
According to news reports from credible media outlets
12/23/20Rewarded his 2016 campaign chairman Paul Manafort with a pardon after he served less than two years of his 7-year sentence for breaking his plea deal by lying to investigators about information potentially damaging to Trump
Pardoned his senior adviser Roger Stone as a reward for him refusing to testify against Trump after publicly bashing the US Attorneys who prosecuted the criminal obstruction and witness tampering case against him
According to news reports from credible media outletsRewarded Dutch attorney Alex van der Zwaan with a pardon after he refused to cooperate with the Mueller investigation and served a 30-day sentence for lying to the FBI about his work with top Trump adviser Rick Gates and an individual tied to Russian intelligence services
According to news reports from credible media outlets
12/23/20Pardoned former border agent Gary Brugman who served a two-year prison sentence for violently striking two detained undocumented immigrants who were complying with orders posing no threat of which he defended his actions instead of expressing remorse
According to news reports from credible media outlets
12/23/20Pardoned the wife of disgraced Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter who pleaded guilty to stealing campaign contributions for personal use
12/23/20Pardoned his son-in-law's father Charles Kushner who served 14 months in prison in the early 2000's for illegal campaign contributions, tax evasion and witness tampering 14 years after he concluded his sentence which benefits his namesake company by making it much easier for them to secure financing for major projects
12/22/20Pardoned former Rep. and early 2016 campaign supporter Duncan Hunter who admitted to stealing campaign contributions for personal use days before he was set to begin his 11-month prison sentence
12/22/20Pardoned former Rep. Chris Collins as a reward for being the first member of Congress to endorse his 2016 campaign resulting in him only serving 10 weeks of a 26-month prison sentence for insider trading
12/22/20Commuted former Republican Rep. Steve Stockman's ten-year prison sentence after serving only two years for stealing $1.25 million meant for a charity but using it for personal expenses and to fund his campaign instead
Pardoned his former campaign aide George Papadopoulos who lied to the FBI about his many interactions with top Russian intelligence officials who claimed they had "dirt" on Hillary Clinton that could help the Trump campaign and used the occasion to lash out at Special Counsel Robert Mueller for prosecuting him in the first place
According to news reports from credible media outlets
12/18/20Funneled hundreds of millions of dollars through two shell companies connected to his son-in-law to hide its spending during the 2020 Presidential campaign
According to a formal FEC complaint filed by the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center
11/26/20Rewarded former national security adviser Michael Flynn with a pardon after he stopped cooperating with investigators following his guilty plea for lying to the FBI over his communications with top Russian officials before he was sentenced and without consulting with the Justice Department first
According to news reports from credible media outlets -
Bunny WelshFmr. Sheriff [R-PA]
11/25/20Illegally allowed police deputies she oversaw to stay "on the clock" and also accrue vacation time during supposed volunteer work done outside their normal work hours
According to charging documents filed by state officials -
11/18/20Unsuccessfully pushed Georgia's Secretary of State to illegally discard thousands of legally cast ballots from the 2020 Presidential election
According to a top staffer for Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger -
11/05/20Prescribed opioids to several family members and his romantic partner in violation of rules prohibiting doctors from treating and prescribing medication to people they are close with
According to a ruling placing his medical license on probation by the TN Board of Medical Examiners -
11/05/20Had a yearslong extramarital affair with a woman who worked for a Republican state senator and was able to keep it secret by using a fake Uber account to rendezvous with her and then facilitated her transfer to a job working for a wealthy business executive and donor he was criminally involved with
According to two people with direct knowledge who spoke on condition of anonymity with The Associated Press -
Andy StricklandFmr. Sheriff [R-SC]
10/23/20Made police deputies and other staff members perform non-work services for his personal businesses, at his private property and for his political campaign during their regular work hours
According to charging documents filed by local officials -
10/01/20Sexually harassed an assistant of hers so incessantly that she eventually filed a 42-page complaint against Fox News which resulted in them paying her a secret multimillion-dollar settlement
According to an exclusive report by The New Yorker -
Byron MallottFmr. Lt. Governor [R-AK]
9/10/20Invited a female public safety officer up to his hotel room under false pretenses and made it clear to her how attracted he was to her while also being married and when she rose to leave the room he vaguely threatened her by reminding her how much he has helped her professionally throughout her career and then secretly paid her an undisclosed amount of money and forced her to sign a nondisclosure agreement after she filed a complaint against him
According to an exclusive report by ProPublica -
Donald Trump47th U.S. President




162.3m
8/28/20Gave his 2020 Republican acceptance speech from the White House lawn in what one expert described as an “abomination” that “may be the most visible misuse of official position for private gain in America’s history”
According to multiple experts on the law and government regulations -
Steve WatkinsFmr. U.S. Representative95.3% Voted with Trump
7/14/20Illegally used a local UPS store as his legal address for voting purposes in violation of state election law
According to charging documents filed by local officials -
Loren CulpFmr. Chief of Police Candidate
7/05/20Refused to report a 17-year-old victim's credible allegations against her stepfather who had been raping and sexually assaulting her since she was only 5 years old in violation of state law and threatened to charge her with making false claims instead
According to a lawsuit filed by the alleged victim and reported by local media -
Joel GreenbergFmr. Tax Collector [R-FL]
6/23/20Received over $400k in federal COVID relief by falsely claiming two defunct businesses were still operational
According to charging documents by federal authorities -
Rebecca DohertyState Judge [R-OH]
4/16/20Crashed her SUV into a ditch and then told the police who arrived and observed vomit in her car and a strong odor of alcohol on her breath that "I am absolutely out of my mind. I am so intoxicated," failed a field sobriety test and refused a breathalyzer test and tried to get out of trouble by telling the officers that she was a judge -- several times -- and demanded they call a sheriff's deputy in a not-so-veiled attempt to avoid getting arrested for drunk driving
According to charging documents filed by local police -
Derek LewisState Representative
4/16/20Crashed his pickup truck into a ditch, almost fell over getting out, had bloodshot eyes, slurred his words, acted belligerently, refused to do field sobriety tests telling police “I ain’t gonna do a goddamn thing you want” and then tried to use his position in government to get out of trouble by repeatedly demanding that the deputy call the local sheriff on his behalf
According to charging documents filed by local officials -
3/19/20Cashed in between $1.275 and $3.1 million in stocks from companies seen as vulnerable to the burgeoning COVID-19 outbreak over a series of 27 transactions that began mere hours after she received a confidential Senate briefing
According to financial disclosures reported on by the media -
Gabrielle LeDouxFmr. State Representative
3/13/20Asked people who no longer lived in her home district to break the law and vote there anyway in two different elections, one of which she only won by 117 votes
According to charging documents filed by local police -
Mitchell EnglanderFmr. City Council Member
3/09/20Accepted bribes during a lavish trip to Las Vegas which included $10k in cash, a free room, sex with an escort and a nearly $35,000 tab at a night club in exchange for directing major development projects to a prominent businessman in Los Angeles
According to charging documents filed by federal officials -
Kim ChaneyFmr. State Judge [R-AL]
2/26/20Improperly directed $105,000 in court-appointed legal work to his son who was an attorney in the public defenders office
According to a final ruling by the Alabama Court of the Judiciary that fined him $3,700 -
Andy StricklandFmr. Sheriff [R-SC]
2/18/20Coerced a subordinate into having a sexual relationship with him by threatening to manipulate her salary or fire her outright if she didn't agree
2/18/20According to charging documents filed by local officials -
Donald Trump47th U.S. President




162.3m
2/18/20Pardoned a Republican House candidate and QAnon conspiracy theorist who was a major Trump backer and previously served two years in prison for her role in an organized auto theft ring back in 2004
2/18/20Pardoned former New York police commissioner and vocal Trump supporter Bernard Kerik who illegally received over $250,000 from a company with suspected connections to organized crime four years after his prison sentence concluded after lobbying from his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani
2/18/20Rewarded business executive Paul Pogue who served three years' probation for failing to pay over $400k in taxes with a pardon months after his son and daughter-in-law donated $238,541 to Trump's reelection campaign
According to news reports from credible media outlets -



590kMAGA Enthusiast
2/13/20Violated campaign finance law by coordinating with a Super PAC that ran political attack ads against his opponents without reporting the ads as a gift as required by state and federal law and was fined $178,000 by The Missouri Ethics Commission
According to the results of a state ethics investigation which found he violated the law -
12/14/19Rewarded convicted murderer Patrick Baker -- who had only served two years of his 19-year sentence -- with a pardon after his family donated $29,500 to his reelection campaign
According to reporting by mainstream media outlets
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