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Kirk’s Ex-Wife Charges He Illegally Paid Ex-Girlfriend

May 29, 2012 · 11:05 am ET · Leave a Comment

Sen. Mark Kirk’s (R-IL) ex-wife filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission alleging that her former husband and then-girlfriend may have broken campaign finance laws, the Chicago Tribune reports.

“The girlfriend, Dodie McCracken, who works in public relations, has acknowledged receiving more than $143,000 in fees and expenses for her campaign work. A former live-in girlfriend, she is no longer romantically involved with Kirk… At the heart of the matter is Vertolli’s assertion that the Kirk campaign may have improperly hidden money to McCracken by paying her through another company working for the campaign. Because the money was not paid directly to McCracken, her name does not appear in Kirk’s federal disclosures.”

Interestingly, Kirk also “quietly paid” his ex-wife $40,000 in campaign funds after she publicly said she wouldn’t support his campaign in 2010.

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