VA 07 Congressman Dave Brat is known for his media appearances where he never misses an opportunity to declare himself “ethical” because of his Judeo-Christian values and seminary education. However, the veneer of his friendly aw-shucks demeanor was recently bruised when his constituents uncovered him paying a campaign staffer to fling insults and threaten posters on his Facebook page.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported that he pays a person $80,000 per year for “Communication Consulting” services. Savvy constituents recognized from FEC filings that this staff person, Sara James, shares a name with a person who regularly spars with constituents on Brat’s Campaign Facebook page. A little internet sleuthing did not turn up any type of professional media communication firms associated with Sara James. Her qualifications seem to be that she was once head of the Richmond Tea Party.
Congressman pays staffer to insult constituents.
But an even bigger outrage is that she is not satisfied to harangue constituents as a paid staffer, she also does so as herself, without identifying herself as campaign staff. Illegal - probably not, super shady ethically, oh yeah. She has also pulled down posts criticizing her indicating that she also has editing privileges from Brat himself. The irony in all of this is that Brat has infamously complained about “women getting in his grill” and that the attendees at his rowdy town halls earlier this year were paid protesters. Now he finds himself in a situation where he is paying somebody, who, under his watch, is deleting the comments of his own unpaid constituents.
Fortunately, several VA House of Delegates Districts within the 7th flipped to blue in the heavily populated 68th, 72nd, and 73rd districts sending a signal to Brat that his brand of hypocrisy is not welcome.