Possible campaign finance irregularities by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s former chief of staff Saikat Chakrabarti may form the basis of a federal probe, according to a report in the New York Post.
This follows news Friday that Saikat Chakrabarti, the congresswoman’s chief of staff since January, and Corbin Trent, her communications director, would be parting ways with her congressional office in the next few weeks.
Chakrabarti, who masterminded Ocasio-Cortez’s election to Congress, is heading to New Consensus, a nonprofit working to bolster the Green New Deal and other climate change initiatives, as Breitbart New reported.
According to the Post, both men will be subject to examination. The exact agency charged with responsibility for conducting the probe is not named in the newspaper’s report.
Chakrabarti previously caused uproar in the halls of Congress with a series of combative tweets that contributed to a rift between his rookie boss and Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
“People were not happy that he used his Twitter account to comment about members and the bills that he and his boss oppose,” a senior House Democratic staffer said, according to the Post report. “There was a series of colliding and cascading grievances.”
The two PACs being probed, Brand New Congress and Justice Democrats, were both set up by Chakrabarti to support progressive candidates across the country.
Even prior to the broadside about moderates, Chakrabarti had come under fire for his tenure leading Justice Democrats. In March, a complaint was filed with the Federal Election Commission alleging he funneled more than $1 million in political donations to two of his private companies.
In March it was alleged there were no “walls of separation” in the 3,500 square feet of office space in Knoxville, Tennessee that in 2017 and 2018 housed two political action committees (PACs), two private consulting firms, and at least 12 congressional campaigns committees, all controlled or run by Chakrabarti.
Story cited here.
