Washington, D.C. – Two years ago, Raphael Warnock criticized his opponent for “us[ing] the people’s seat to enrich yourself.” Warnock added that “you ought to use the people’s seat to represent the people.”
Well, Warnock’s gone Washington and is doing exactly what he claimed to oppose – using his position to enrich himself. His income has more than doubled in just one year since getting elected to the U.S. Senate. What’s more, he’s not using the people’s seat to represent the people – he’s skipping votes as he travels around the country promoting his book (for which he got paid a hefty advance).
We know that Senator Warnock has done more for Joe Biden than he’s done for Georgia. Turns out he’s also done a hell of a lot more for himself than he’s done for Georgia.
Learn more:
How Raphael Warnock Doubled His Income Since Joining the Senate
By Alana Goodman
Sen. Raphael Warnock (D., Ga.) more than doubled his income since joining the Senate last year, with most of his half-a-million-dollar haul coming from outside employers and book deals, according to his financial disclosure records.
Warnock disclosed a total income of $532,781 in 2021, a significant bump from the $221,602 he earned in the year before his election. Less than half of his income last year came from his Senate salary, which was $164,816. Ebenezer Baptist Church paid him an additional $120,964, including a $7,417-per-month housing allowance. Penguin Random House also paid him $243,750 as an advance on his memoir that was published in June, and he received $5,750 in speaking fees.
Warnock’s spike in earnings comes two years after he accused his predecessor, former Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler, of “us[ing] the people’s seat to enrich yourself.” The income is likely to feed the perception that holding public office is a means to enrichment given how many lawmakers find a way to leverage their positions—over time—into multimillion-dollar fortunes. Warnock’s 100 percent income increase shows how quickly that can happen, as he’s doubled his take-home pay in just two years.
Warnock has already drawn public scrutiny for some of his unusual financial arrangements. While senators are prohibited from accepting more than $29,000 in outside income, Warnock raked in $120,000 last year from Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta—but dodged the income cap by taking most of that money as a “housing allowance.” He was also hit with election finance complaints in July for using campaign funds to fight personal lawsuits that predated his run for office.
Herschel Walker, the Republican challenging Warnock in the competitive Senate race, slammed the Democrat over his outside work, claiming he “only cares about making a better life for himself, not the people of Georgia.”
Read More at the Washington Free Beacon
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