The Arizona Democratic Party paid Colleen Wachenfeld – a Delta Gamma sorority girl and Virginia Democratic Party staffer who posed as a white supremacist at a recent campaign event for Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin, dubbed “Tikigate” – nearly $19,700 to campaign for Mark Kelly over the course of four months last year.
According to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), Wachenfeld was on the Arizona Democratic Party’s payroll from mid-July to the end of November. Though Wachenfeld’s resident city and state for payments were listed as Basking Ridge, New Jersey, social media pictures confirmed she was in Arizona during the months that the Arizona Democratic Party paid her.
The Arizona Democratic Party didn’t respond to multiple requests for comment. As for Wachenfeld: she has not denied or affirmed her involvement in the stunt, though immediately after social media users identified her as a participant she attempted to disguise her identity on Twitter multiple times, rebranding her handle into names such as “rachelanne1776” and adopting random pictures for her profile and header before deleting the account, then reinstating it and ultimately making all of her social media pages private. She appears to live in Arizona currently, as indicated by her updated Twitter bio.
Wachenfeld was admitted into the competitive School of Public Affairs (SPA) leadership program at her alma mater, the D.C.-based American University. In addition to that program, Wachenfeld was an active member of the Beta Epsilon chapter of Delta Gamma, a national sorority.
Students involved in American University like Wachenfeld could expect to pay around $4,000 or more for four years of sorority membership, not including expenses like uniforms, Big-Little gifts, and philanthropies. (The Beta Epsilon chapter claimed their dues were on par with other sororities on campus, and Phi Mu’s dues totaled around $4,000.)
We inquired with Delta Gamma and the Beta Epsilon chapter whether Wachenfeld’s actions were consistent with their goal and motto to “do good,” and what their standards were for admitting women because, as sororities and fraternities often say, membership lasts for a lifetime. Neither responded by press time.
Wachenfeld’s chapter expressed a steadfast commitment to anti-racism following George Floyd’s death last year. They partnered with the Kentucky-based Muhammed Ali Center to reform their chapter based on diversity, equity, social justice, and the like, applying some of funds from those $4,000-odd memberships to pay for the program.
“With the help of the Ali Center in Louisville, Kentucky, we are developing a program that focuses on racial justice, identities of privilege and oppression, positive social change, and building inclusive and equitable communities. Through workshops, active dialogue, and policy creation, we are working to become actively anti-racist. We have allocated a portion of our chapter operating budget to implement this program, and look forward to finding more meaningful ways to support the Muhammad Ali Center and utilize them as a resource throughout the course of our partnership and beyond.”
During the spring of her senior year, Wachenfeld served a short stint as an intern for Democratic New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, who endorsed Terry McAuliffe as Youngkin’s Democratic opponent. Several months later, Wachenfeld graduated magna cum laude from American University with a B.A. in public relations and strategic communication.
One faculty member at American University’s Washington College of Law shares the same surname as Wachenfeld: adjunct professor Margaret Wachenfeld. She didn’t respond to AZ Free News multiple requests for comment, either.
Democratic Party of Virginia Executive Director Andrew Whitley claimed that none of their staff members were involved in the stunt. Whitley appeared to be rebuking those who claimed Wachenfeld’s involvement.
“The Democratic Party of Virginia, along with its coordinated partners and affiliates, did not have any role today in the events that happened outside of the Youngkin campaign bus stop today. What happened in Charlottesville four years ago was a tragedy and one of the darkest moments in our state’s recent memories and is an event not to be taken lightly. For anyone to accuse our staff to have a role in this event is shameful and wrong.” (emphasis added)
Charlie Olaf, Terry McAuliffe’s social media manager, retweeted images of the purported “white supremacists” at the Youngkin event with heavy criticism. As of press time, Olaf’s Twitter profile was set to private. Olaf also updated his bio to read: “I’m sorry,” with his location also set to read, “I’m sorry.”
“Wow. At a campaign stop for Glenn Youngkin this morning, people were holding tiki torches and chanting ‘we’re all in for Glenn,’” tweeted Olaf. “Disgusting reference to the 2017 Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville.”
Several other McAuliffe staffers tweeted similar condemnations that they later deleted: spokeswoman Christina Freundlich, and communications aide Jen Goodman.
“The Unite the Right rally was one of the darkest days in the Commonwealth’s history,” wrote Freundlich. “This is who Glenn Youngkin’s supporters are.”
“This is disgusting and disqualifying,” wrote Goodman.
The Lincoln Project, a Never-Trump group, claimed responsibility for the stunt. They didn’t name the operatives involved. The FEC didn’t show any payments from the Lincoln Project to Wachenfeld.
“Today’s demonstration was our way of reminding Virginians what happened in Charlottesville four years ago, the Republican Party’s embrace of those values, and Glenn Youngkin’s failure to condemn it,” wrote the organization. “The Youngkin campaign is enraged by our reminder of Charlottesville for one simple reason: Glenn Youngkin wants Virginians to forget that he is Donald Trump’s candidate. We will continue to hold Glenn Youngkin accountable. If he will denounce Trump’s assertion that the Charlottesville rioters possessed ‘very fine’ qualities, we’ll withdraw the tiki torches. Until then, we’ll be back.”
One social media user noted that while both Wachenfeld and another accused of participating in the Tikigate stunt, Camden Layton, were following the Virginia Democrats on Instagram, neither were following the Lincoln Project.
Camden Layton and Colleen Wachenfeld both follow Virginia Democrats on Instagram. Neither follow The Lincoln Project ? pic.twitter.com/sH6JAYx997
Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) hasn’t pressed President Joe Biden lately on the border, let alone a visit there, despite the number of illegal border crossings reaching an all-time historic high: 1.7 million. It was revealed that Biden hadn’t ever visited the border after Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy brought the topic up to Press Secretary Jen Psaki last month.
Psaki circled back to the topic in last Friday’s White House press briefing, in response to a follow-up by Doocy after Biden claimed he’d visited the border during a CNN town hall the day before. Psaki appeared to allude to a report by The Washington Post, which stated that the last time Biden visited the border was a “drive-by” in 2008. According to that report, he drove by the border while on the campaign trail for previous President Barack Obama.
AZ Free News inquired with Kelly’s office for comment. They didn’t respond by press time.
The most recent action from Kelly on the border concerns hearings for Biden’s nomination for Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) commissioner. Last week, Tucson Police Chief Chris Magnus sat before the Senate Finance Committee for a confirmation hearing.
Both Kelly and Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) vowed to the committee that Magnus would be an optimal choice for CBP commissioner. Sinema emphasized Magnus’ capabilities to protect the border; Kelly remarked that Magnus would be a “committed public servant,” not pointing fingers at the Biden Administration but rather stressing that “decades” of broken immigration laws and politician failures were to blame for the border.
In comparison to Kelly, Sinema has been more vocal in her discontent with Biden’s handling of the border. Sinema demanded that the Biden Administration “do more” to address the illegal immigrants.
“The reality is that this is a crisis and we all know it, and the federal government must do more to address this surge of migrants who are coming to the border in increasing numbers each year,” said Sinema.
Though Kelly hasn’t asked Biden to visit the border, both he and Sinema requested in April that Biden reimburse Arizona for their National Guard deployment expenses. Then in August, they petitioned Biden again to reimburse the state’s expenditures following a show of support for Governor Doug Ducey’s announcement that he would be extending the deployment of the 150 guardsmen for another year.
Biden hasn’t footed the bill.
In July, however, Biden did approve legislation to reimburse the National Guard $521 million for their deployment of 26,000 troops following the January 6 riot at the Capitol.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
Democratic Senators Mark Kelly and Kyrsten Sinema will likely support the Biden Administration and Democrats’ $3.5 trillion tax plan, causing Americans to pay more in corporate taxes in Arizona than in China. The bill was derived from President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better Plan, and it would be the largest spending bill in American history.
If the bill passes, the federal-state corporate tax rate in Arizona would jump to over 30 percent, while China’s tax rate would be around 25 percent. That’s not including those enterprises in certain industries supported heavily by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which could receive a tax rate as low as 10 to 15 percent. Additionally, the bill would cause capital gains tax in Arizona to rise up over 35 percent, while China’s would ring in around 20 percent. This data was compiled by Americans for Tax Reform.
Back in July, Sinema expressed lack of support for the bill in July over its price tag, but not its content. At that point, Kelly hadn’t made a commitment to the bill either.
“I have also made clear that while I will support beginning this process, I do not support a bill that costs $3.5 trillion,” said Sinema. “And in the coming months, I will work in good faith to develop this legislation with my colleagues and the administration to strengthen Arizona’s economy and help Arizona’s everyday families get ahead.”
However, both Sinema and Kelly voted in favor of the framework for the $3.5 trillion plan last month.
The Biden Administration and Democratic Party’s proposed tax increases would cause the U.S. to have one of the highest capital gains taxes in the world.
Analysts with the Tax Foundation estimated that the impact of this policy would reduce the GDP by about one percent: more than $2 for every $1 in new tax revenue, or about $332 billion of lost output annually. Over the course of a decade, the cumulative GDP would reduce by nearly $1.2 to $1.8 trillion, which they stated would far exceed the amount of revenue the plan would raise in the same amount of time.
All while eliminating an estimated 303,000 full-time jobs. The primary cause for these projected negative changes comes from the proposed corporate tax rate. They estimate that this alone would reduce the GDP by .6 percent and eliminate 107,000 jobs.
As for after-tax incomes, they estimated that individual taxpayers would see an average reduction of $800 each year.
The Tax Foundation’s Senior Policy Analyst, Garrett Watson, assessed that ultimately, low- and middle-income families would feel these repercussions the most.
“The economic harm caused by the tax increases would claw back some of the plan’s expanded tax credits aimed at low- and middle-income families. For those in the bottom 30 percent, it would reduce the average net benefit of the plan per filer from $341 to $233, a 30 percent reduction,” wrote Watson. “Before accounting for economic effects, filers in the middle quintile would see a decrease in average after-tax income of about $38 – mostly due to the corporate tax increases – but that would rise to a $493 drop in average after-tax income every year when including the negative economic effects. The top quintile would see a $1,287 drop in average after-tax income, rising to a $3,861 drop in average after-tax income on a dynamic basis.”
They also noted that these proposed changes would raise a net federal revenue of around $1.1 trillion from next year to 2031, without accounting for dynamic factors like the estimated reduction in economy size. However, that revenue would be reduced by $1 trillion in tax credits. If dynamic factors weren’t excluded, federal revenue would ring in around $804 billion in revenue net of tax credits.
Per a poll released by Navigator Research earlier this week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi claimed that an overwhelming majority of Americans supported the Build Back Better Act. The results meted out to 66 percent of Americans, 61 percent of independents, and 39 percent of Republicans.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) never recused himself from voting on the Biden Administration’s Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) pick, David Chipman. This, despite their lengthy relationship.
Kelly hired Chipman in 2016 to his gun control organization, Giffords, which he founded in 2013 with his wife, former Democratic Congresswoman Gabby Giffords. Chipman has served as their senior policy advisor for over five and a half years. The description of his role that he posted on his LinkedIn even makes a point to mention Kelly as the co-founder of Giffords.
“Giffords is a gun violence prevention organization established by former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords and her husband Mark Kelly[,] a retired United States Navy combat veteran, test pilot, and NASA astronaut,” wrote Chipman. “Giffords advocates for sensible gun laws, policies and investments that make communities safer. Areas of specific interest include strengthening and expanding the background check system, combating domestic violence homicides, enacting comprehensive laws against gun trafficking and dedicating funding for research about the causes and impact of gun violence.” (emphasis added)
That description of Kelly wasn’t copied and pasted from Giffords, or anywhere else online. That was something that Chipman likely crafted entirely on his own, because that exact phrasing is unique to his LinkedIn description.
Kelly’s organization advocated heavily for Chipman’s approval.
In response to this relationship, State Representative Quan Nguyen (R-Prescott Valley) called for Kelly to recuse himself from the Chipman vote. He published an official proclamation in the Arizona House that received the support of Republican leadership at the federal level like Representative Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05).
Kelly never got the chance to vote on Chipman: the White House announced Thursday that they were withdrawing Chipman as their nominee.
In an explanatory statement, President Joe Biden blamed Republicans for their decision to withdraw Chipman. He praised Chipman as a seasoned leader in the ATF and the choice advocate for safer gun policies. Biden claimed that Republicans were intent on using gun crime as an unserious political talking point, and that they were against “commonsense measures” like universal background checks (UBCs).
Biden also alluded that Republicans were against funding police because they opposed his American Rescue Plan, which he says gave cities and states $350 billion for police. The Biden Administration has highlighted the funds as a means of reversing the sharp increase in gun violence that occurred nationwide throughout the pandemic.
Kelly has yet to put out any statements on his relationship with Chipman.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) voted to give convicted serial sex abuser and former USA gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar stimulus checks, along with other violent criminals. Kelly voted with the rest of his Democratic colleagues to grant stimulus checks to convicted serial killers, rapists, terrorists, and sex offenders.
Nassar received two stimulus payments totaling $2,000. However, his victims won’t be seeing the money Kelly voted to grant him anytime soon. The Federal Bureau of Prisons has reportedly allowed Nassar to pay out a meagre $100 annually toward the $57,000 he owes in restitution and over $5,000 in special assessment. The court filings also reportedly indicate that Nassar has ignored those debts, while spending over $10,000 of a total $12,825 he’s received while in prison to cover his commissary, email, and phone expenses. This information was submitted in a motion by U.S. attorneys to U.S. District Court Judge Janet Neff in the Western District of Michigan on Wednesday.
The Department of Justice would collect more than the annual $100 for restitution, but it can’t currently. Nassar is one of many federal inmates taking advantage of a prison bureau policy barring collection from their accounts.
Following the court filing, Republicans have asked the Biden Administration to take action. Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) submitted a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland inquiring why inmates may continue to use deposit accounts without complying with financial sentencing obligations.
“Unfortunately, these facts give the appearance that the Department of Justice places greater importance on Nassar’s comfort than on collecting the debt he owes to his victims,” said Wicker. “This situation sends a troubling message about our justice system’s priorities, not only to the athletes he abused but to victims of sexual misconduct everywhere. Continuing to allow a sexual predator to maximize his comfort in prison while ignoring obligations he incurred as part of his sentencing adds grave insult to the injuries sustained by his victims and the entire U.S. Olympic community.”
Nassar’s alleged victims include U.S. Olympians Simon Biles, Aly Raisman, Gabby Douglas, and McKayla Maroney. Over 300 women and one man testified against or came forward with their own stories of Nassar’s abuse during his trials.
The former sports doctor was sentenced to 235 years in prison, collectively, for criminal sexual conduct and federal child pornography charges.
A detailed timeline of Nassar’s career, crimes, and prosecution can be found here.
Corinne Murdock is a contributing reporter for AZ Free News. In her free time, she works on her books and podcasts. Follow her on Twitter, @CorinneMurdock or email tips to corinnejournalist@gmail.com
