Political Wire

Guinta’s Mother Contradicts His Money Claim

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Rep. Frank Guinta’s (R-NH) mother contradicted his claim that $355,000 given to his 2010 campaign was his own money, the New Hampshire Union Leader reports.

“There is no evidence to support the ‘family pot defense,’ a theory he put forward claiming legal title to money in an account held solely in his parents’ names, according to FEC documents. The documents detail a $1 million fund belonging to his parents he could tap to help pay for expenses — including his mayoral campaign in Manchester, credit card bills and mortgages. But federal investigators said he had no legal right to the money. For years, Guinta has maintained the money did not belong to his parents. His mother, Virginia Guinta, told the FEC that she understood the funds were loans that would be repaid.”

Lawmaker Admits He Took Illegal Gift

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Rep. Frank Guinta (R-NH) “has apologized without admitting significant wrongdoing after the Federal Election Commission concluded he broke the law by accepting campaign donations from his parents,” the AP reports.

“In 2010, Guinta reported lending himself $355,000 and amended a disclosure form to add a previously unreported bank account… Over the years, Guinta flatly denied the money came from his parents or that it was an illegal campaign donation… But in an agreement made public last week, the FEC concluded that the money came from his parents’ bank accounts and fined him $15,000.”

Boston Globe: “If he resigns, it would trigger a special election for the US House amid the state’s first-in-the-nation presidential primary. If Guinta seeks reelection, he would very likely face a nasty primary fight and general election… If he decides not to run again, another Republican could run — and former Massachusetts US Senator Scott Brown just tweeted a picture of his new condo from Guinta’s district.”

Second Time as Freshmen

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National Journal: “Like other newly elected members of Congress, Reps. Frank Guinta of New Hampshire and Robert Dold of Illinois have come to Washington early this month for orientation. But the litany of instructions for setting up a new congressional office may be less dizzying for the pair of Republicans—they’re freshmen for the second time.”

“Both Guinta and Dold first came to Washington after the 2010 elections as part of the Republican class that took back the House of Representatives that year. But they lost their reelection attempts in 2012 before launching successful comebacks in 2014, effectively riding two Republican waves into office.”

[speech_bubble type=”std” subtype=”a” icon=”pwdome.jpg” name=””]And there’s a good chance they could lose again in 2016.[/speech_bubble]

Taegan Goddard

Taegan Goddard

Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.

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