Democratic Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock finds himself embroiled in an ethics complaint. The Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT) has filed a complaint with the Senate Select Committee on Ethics, alleging that Warnock may have submitted a false financial disclosure form, potentially violating federal law. The complaint calls for an immediate investigation into whether Warnock exceeded outside income limits by exploiting what FACT describes as a “fabricated” loophole1.
The Allegations and the Loophole
According to FACT Executive Director Kendra Arnold, there are two possible scenarios at play. The first is that Warnock and his church had a deferred compensation agreement that they have both failed to report for several years. The second scenario suggests that Warnock received outside income that exceeded the legal limit by more than four times.
Warnock’s most recent financial disclosure indicates that he received $154,895 in compensation from Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church in 2022. However, senators are bound by a limit of approximately $30,000 per year in outside earnings. Warnock managed to bypass this limit by asserting that $125,000 of his church pay was “deferred compensation for services before January 20, 2021”.
NEW: Raphael Warnock used a sketchy accounting loophole to evade outside income limits in 2022.
He claimed $125k in "deferred compensation" for work he did for his church before 2021.
There’s just one problem: The arrangement seems entirely fabricated.https://t.co/28Q5s4d01G
— Andrew Kerr (@AndrewKerrNC) August 22, 2023
The Need for Investigation
The allegations against Warnock raise serious concerns about his adherence to Senate ethics laws. The Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust, in its complaint, emphasizes the importance of an immediate investigation by the Senate Select Committee on Ethics. The organization argues that the applicable laws and rules are clear, and the people Warnock serves deserve to know the truth.
Warnock’s Controversial Church Affiliation
Warnock’s connection to Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church has been a subject of scrutiny throughout his political career. This affiliation played a significant role in the unsuccessful campaign of Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker against Warnock in the last election. It has also attracted the attention of Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.
Past Controversies Surrounding the Church
In the fall of last year, Brad Raffensperger questioned the nonprofit standing of the Ebenezer Building Foundation, which is operated by Ebenezer Baptist Church. The foundation failed to register as a charitable organization in the state, prompting Raffensperger to raise concerns about its compliance with legal requirements.
The Ebenezer Building Foundation owns a low-income lodging unit that sought to evict residents over past-due rent as low as $26. This controversy highlighted the potential conflicts of interest and questionable practices within the church’s operations.
The Silence of Warnock’s Office and the Church
Despite the gravity of the allegations against him, Warnock’s office has remained silent on the matter. Requests for comment regarding the ethics complaint have gone unanswered. Similarly, the Ebenezer Baptist Church has not responded to previous inquiries regarding its financial arrangement with Warnock and the “deferred compensation” he claimed.