PULSE POINTS:
❓What Happened: Representative Maxine Waters’ 2020 congressional campaign was fined $68,000 for multiple violations of federal campaign finance laws.
👥 Who’s Involved: Maxine Waters (D-CA), Citizens for Waters campaign committee, the Federal Election Commission (FEC), and attorney Leilani Beaver.
📍 Where & When: Violations occurred during the Democrat’s 2020 reelection bid; FEC investigation findings were published as part of the Conciliation and Settlement Agreements released on May 30, 2025.
💬 Key Quote: Waters’ attorney claimed, “The errors were primarily a result of limited staff availability and resources during the pandemic.”
⚠️ Impact: Waters’ campaign admitted errors, agreed to pay the fine, and will send its treasurer to FEC training.
IN FULL:
California Democratic Representative Maxine Waters’ 2020 congressional campaign has been fined $68,000 by the Federal Election Commission (FEC) for violating federal campaign finance laws. The Conciliation and Settlement Agreements, released by the FEC on May 30, reveal that Waters’ campaign committee, Citizens for Waters, understated its contributions and expenditures by several hundred thousand dollars during the 2020 election cycle.
The FEC investigation found that Citizens for Waters, among other violations, accepted $19,000 in excessive contributions in 2019 and 2020 and improperly disbursed $7,000 in cash from a petty cash fund. The campaign has since agreed to pay the fine and committed to sending its treasurer to an FEC-sponsored training program for political committees.
Leilani Beaver, an attorney for the Waters campaign, stated in correspondence with the FEC that the errors were not “willful or purposeful,” attributing the missteps to limited staff and resources during the COVID-19 pandemic. Beaver also noted that the campaign amended its financial reports and returned the excess contributions identified by FEC auditors.
This is not the first time Waters, who has served in Congress since 1991, has faced scrutiny over campaign finance and ethics issues. In 2004, she was criticized for employing her daughter in her campaign as a slate mailer, a practice that has resulted in over $1.2 million in payments to her daughter. Additionally, in 2010, Waters faced accusations of violating conflict of interest rules for allegedly assisting a bank tied to her husband, though the House Ethics Committee later dismissed the case.
Waters has also made headlines for her outspoken opposition to President Donald J. Trump. In 2018, she urged her supporters to confront Trump administration officials in public spaces, suggesting they were “not welcome” in restaurants, stores, or gas stations.