Ahead of tomorrow's Virginia gubernatorial debate, Republican gubernatorial nominee Winsome Earle-Sears has been caught in a corruption scandal this morning following new bombshell reporting that found Earle-Sears has repeatedly failed to disclose gifts and travel benefits - including a $12,000 payment from a pro-Trump organization.
Key Point: "The unreported ALEC travel and the $12,000 gift fit a larger pattern of incomplete or revised disclosures during Earle-Sears' time as lieutenant governor."
Virginia Mercury: Financial disclosure gaps, questionable gifts cloud Earle-Sears' bid for governor
By:Markus Schmidt
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Records show that Earle-Sears, who has served as lieutenant governor since 2022, repeatedly failed to disclose gifts and travel benefits as required under state law, and in several instances amended her filings only after watchdogs or reporters raised questions.
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"These aren't minor oversights," said Alex Keena, an associate professor of political science at Virginia Commonwealth University who studies political ethics and campaign finance. "To me, this raises serious concerns about her ability to govern lawfully and ethically and highlights obvious conflicts of interest."
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One of the most striking irregularities in Earle-Sears' filings dates back to June 2021, when she reported receiving a $12,000 "gift" from Black Americans to Reelect the President - a pro-Trump organization for which she served as national chair. The disclosure appears in her 2021 SOEI filing, but she did not check any box to claim an exemption from Virginia's $100 gift cap.
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At the same time, federal election filings show that the same group paid Earle-Sears $7,966.12 for "event organizing," "copy editing," and travel between April and December 2019. The payments, disclosed to the Federal Election Commission, included airfare, lodging, meals and consulting services.
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"On the one hand, the 'gifts' she has received, such as foreign travel paid by lobbyists and donors or direct cash payments received from partisan groups, provide a window into who she is serving and whose interests she will prioritize in office," Keena said. "On the other hand, a pattern of not disclosing these obvious conflicts of interest is indicative of a disregard of the law and implies she had something to hide."
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Her 2022, 2023, and 2024 SOEIs each include a section requiring the filer to list "any lodging, transportation, money, or other thing of value" exceeding $100 received in their official capacity. Each year, Earle-Sears either checked "No" or reported nothing in that section.
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The unreported ALEC travel and the $12,000 gift fit a larger pattern of incomplete or revised disclosures during Earle-Sears' time as lieutenant governor.
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"In Virginia, our ethics system is based on the honor principle - you disclose what you receive, and the public judges you accordingly," Keena said. "When an elected official repeatedly fails to meet that basic standard, it undermines the foundation of accountability."