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Maria Elvira Salazar has been hit with multiple FEC violations for taking over $147,000 in illegal excessive contributions, most notably featuring excess contributions from Abelardo de la Espriella Otero.
De la Espriella is a lawyer best known for representing Alex Saab, who was sanctioned by the Treasury Department along with 3 of Maduro’s stepsons, for laundering hundreds of millions of dollars in corrupt Venezuelan government contracts.
María Elvira Salazar not only took the money, but when asked to explain it, called De la Espriella “a good man” — a good man who just happened to represent one of Maduro’s closest associates, someone who “long played a vital role in establishing and maintaining the illicit financial networks that facilitate corruption” for the Venezuelan regime. Saab relied on De la Espriella for his legal representation for six years and they were so close that Saab has called the Salazar donor “a great lawyer and a friend.”
With Saab’s story, and his connection to De la Espriella, having been in the news for years, one thing is clear: while María Elvira Salazar shamelessly exploits the struggles of democracy-seekers in Latin America, she is willing to take thousands from anyone that can help her stay in power.
“María Elvira Salazar having a Maduro-connected lawyer fund her campaign is about as shamelessly hypocritical as it gets, and a slap in the face to those fighting for democracy in Venezuela,” said DCCC spokesperson Abel Iraola. “That she decided to stand up for a Maduro guy’s lawyer instead of returning the money says everything about what she truly values and where her principles lie.”
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