Most people know that politicians lie; that’s just what they do. But while the public may be distrustful of our government officials, some not-yet jaded souls may remain convinced that those they elect do what is needed for the common good. While some assume that both Republicans and Democrats are willing to twist the truth to serve their own interests, we rarely get access to evidence that politicians have intentionally deceived their voters in service to an unspoken agenda or simply even personal gain.
Videos provided by undercover organization Project Veritas have revealed the two-faced nature of eight Democrat campaigns. Not only are these congressional hopefuls intentionally misleading their potential voters, but their campaign staff also seem to hold the unsuspecting public in utter contempt.
Typically, members of the Veritas team go undercover and film people who then incriminate themselves. Targets with egg on their faces in the lead up to the midterms have included Democrat candidates and their staff in Arizona, Texas, North Dakota, Oregon, Tennessee, Missouri, and Florida.
Beto O’Rourke
Perhaps the most damning video to come out from Project Veritas ahead of the midterms is footage of Texan Senate candidate Beto O’Rourke’s campaign staff apparently using campaign funds to assist illegal immigrants in the current Central American migrant caravan. According to a Project Veritas attorney, “The material Project Veritas Action Fund captured shows campaign workers covering up the true nature of spending of campaign funds and intentionally misreporting them. This violates the FEC’s rules against personal use and misreporting. It also violates Section 1001, making a false statement to the federal government.” Indeed the footage shows staffers admitting that they would be subject to penalties if their actions were discovered.
[perfectpullquote align=”right” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=”24″]… evidence that politicians have intentionally deceived their voters in service to an unspoken agenda.[/perfectpullquote]
The staffers are also seen discussing how, by visiting stores that provide only vague descriptions of items purchased on invoices, they could “totally mask” what they were doing. While these Democrats may individually have wanted to help illegal migrants by providing food, water, blankets, and transport, it is blatant corruption to do so using funds designated to a political campaign, particularly for a candidate that does not explicitly support open borders.
Andrew Gillum
Another Veritas “victim” is Andrew Gillum, mayor of Tallahassee and candidate to be Florida’s next governor. Aside from two other financial corruption scandals, Gillum has been outed by campaign staffer and former college buddy Omar Smith as running a dishonest campaign that is not above stooping to fit the lowest common denominator.
Rather than relying on policies that he will enact once in office, Smith and other campaign staff heavily imply that Gillum will say anything to appeal to as broad an audience as possible, regardless of his intentions. The campaign doesn’t seem to think much of Florida’s voting population, with Smith telling an undercover reporter, “You whip ’em up. The poor, the middle income. You have to whip them up into a frenzy in order for them to vote.”
The uncommonly upfront Smith also posits that Gillum, a black American, is using race as a tool to win the election. “You have to appeal to white guilt,” he says. On another occasion, he claims that the majority white population of Florida would not allow Gillum to “get away with” his policies if he were honest about them.
Kyrsten Sinema
“She had to play centrist to move up, become powerful,” says Madison Snarr, campaign field organizer for Arizona Democrat Senate candidate Kyrsten Sinema. To win votes, she can’t be sincere or specific about her intentions, but must present as generic a message as possible or face losing votes. “She’s going to vote for the interests of Arizonans … whatever the f*** that means,” Snarr adds.
If Arizonans think they know Sinema thanks to her three terms as a state lawmaker, they may want to think again. Michael Smyser, another campaign field organizer, is seen attributing Sinema’s moderate voting record to brief state term lengths, where another election is always just around the corner. With longer Senate terms in the Capitol, she would be more easily able to manipulate voters: “She has more time to move over [toward more progressive policies] … and have a really good chance for reelection as well. Like six years from now,” Smyser says. Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) is another whose policy is apparently highly flexible based on how progressive she can get away with being before losing votes.
McCaskill and Bredesen
Sadly, the list of deceitful campaigns is not over.
Tennessee senate candidate Phil Bredesen is another whose staff were caught on tape claiming that their leader was lying about his politics. In a tape discussed by LN’s Joe Schaeffer, a member of staff alleges that Bredesen lied about his stance on recently confirmed Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, in order to attract moderate voters.
Senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri is hoping for reelection, and she is apparently not phazed at having to lie to voters to reach her goal either, according to two videos depicting her campaign staff. Staffer Nicolas Starost, for example, says:
STAROST: Claire distancing herself from the party is gonna help her win more votes than it will saying like: “Oh here’s Obama, the former President of the United States, to now speak on my behalf.” Which is unfortunate because I love Obama to pieces, and I’d love to see him come here.”
JOURNALIST: “And they essentially have the same views on everything?”
STAROST: “Yeah. People just can’t know that.”
Whatever Project Veritas’ tactics – an outraged McCaskill has accused them of gaining access to her campaign under false pretenses – nobody is yet denying what these people have actually said on camera.
Not all the material is as incriminating as the Veritas implies, and one is curious as to what scandals would be uncovered by a sting operation on GOP candidates. Nonetheless, it appears that much of the Democratic party is backed up by a swath of staffers that have no respect for voters and will tell any lie to push their so-called progressive agenda forward. The extensive footage paints a sad portrait of democracy today.
