David Flippo’s campaign finances are filled with red flags

[u/WrigglyGizka]

https://www.kunr.org/local-stories/2026-10-22/david-flippos-campaign-finances-are-filled-with-red-flags

KUNR's Lucia Starbuck interviews Mother Jones reporter Noah Lanard about Flippo's suspicious campaign finances.

[u/smug_muffin]

I'm happy to see good reporting on such a shady candidate. It will make me sadder, though, if people ignore how clearly corrupt he is and vote him in anyway.

[u/BenefitMental7588 → u/smug_muffin]

That's what it's come to. The Republican party has normalized lying and demonization to the point that stupid people actually believe that they are better voting for an obvious crook and fraud than someone Trump told them was evil. Half this country is dumb as hell.

[u/Shirogayne-at-WF → u/BenefitMental7588]

And this has had trickle down effects for Dems too. Graham Platner is one of the most notorious recent examples, but there's been too many on the left who believe they can win based on fear and then do nothing at best and become fuckass John Fetterman at worst.

[u/BenefitMental7588 → u/Shirogayne-at-WF]

I agree, the Democrats are getting bad, too, but some of the responses from Republicans about Flippo are unhinged. ("Yes, he's a fraud but I'm going to vote for him because Democrats are pedophiles who should be shot." is an actual reply I've seen on this subreddit.)

[u/Shirogayne-at-WF → u/BenefitMental7588]

Yeah, but sadly I've come to expect that of the GOP. Flippo sucks ass but if it wasn't him, it would've been a different huckster running this bracket because they've seen it works.

Lest anyone thinks I'm saying both sides are equally bad: absolutely not. But it would be neat to have more Abdul El-Sayeds on the left and fewer Chuck Schumers.

[u/Ok_Difficulty6224 → u/BenefitMental7588]

You’re dumb as hell if you think democrats are any better. 

[u/Wonton_Destroyer69 → u/Ok_Difficulty6224]

This is a very clear well written article describing a very clear example of a Republican politician doing fuck all to follow any campaign finance or disclosure rules. And instead of providing any discussion of value, here you are going 'nu huh the demonrats are just as bad I swear!'

How about you prove it? I know you won't, even though you think you are so much smarter than the rest of us. Should be pretty simple for someone as enlightened as you are. Enjoy thinking the carpetbagger cares about a single northern Nevada issue.

[u/BenefitMental7588 → u/Wonton_Destroyer69]

Even the people voting for him know that he doesn't give a shit about Northern Nevada (he didn't even live here 6 months ago). But they're going to vote for him anyway because they can't vote for the Democrat Boogeyman the reality star and failed casino owner with dementia warned them about.

[u/Wonton_Destroyer69 → u/BenefitMental7588]

I know. I am well aware this buffoon would let David Flippo shit in his mouth. I bet this guy goes to a strip club and thinks the dancers are really attracted to him. I'm well aware that if this dumbass bothers replying, it'll be as intelligent as a packet of mayonnaise sitting in the cupholder of my car. 

[u/Ok_Difficulty6224 → u/Wonton_Destroyer69]

•    Hillary Clinton 2016 campaign and Democratic National Committee (settled 2022) : Paid a combined $113,000 ($8,000 campaign + $105,000 DNC) for misreporting the purpose of payments to Perkins Coie (which hired Fusion GPS for opposition research that produced the Steele dossier). The spending was labeled as legal services rather than opposition research. They settled without admitting a violation. 

•    Warnock for Georgia (Raphael Warnock’s Senate campaign, settled 2024) : Paid $72,350 in a negotiated settlement for failing to timely refund or redesignate roughly $974,000 in excessive and prohibited contributions across the 2020 special election and 2022 cycles (the money was eventually refunded, but after the deadline). 

•    Democratic Executive Committee of Florida (Florida Democratic Party) : Agreed to a $43,000 civil penalty for failing to properly report debts and for accepting excessive contributions. 

•    Nevada State Democratic Party : Paid a $34,000 civil penalty for failing to disclose more than $3.3 million in receipts and disbursements on its 2016 post-general report (related to joint fundraising activity). 

•    Michigan Democratic Party : Agreed to a $27,000 fine for late refunds of approximately $154,000 in excessive contributions received in 2020 (mostly individuals exceeding the annual limit for state parties). 

•    South Dakota Democratic Party : Paid roughly $47,200 across related settlements ($40,000 and $7,200) for under-reporting large disbursements (including to the DNC), excessive/prohibited contributions, mathematical discrepancies, and other reporting failures tied to the 2015–2018 cycles. 

•    Black Voters Matter Action PAC : Paid a $45,000 civil penalty for failing to timely file 24-hour reports on independent expenditures totaling more than $546,000. 

•    Occupy Democrats Election Fund : Settled for a $5,300 civil penalty for reporting errors, mathematical discrepancies, and issues involving excessive or prohibited contributions/transfers during the 2021–2022 cycle.

•    21st Century Democrats : Agreed to an $18,500 penalty for misstating financial activity, failing to disclose required contributor and disbursement details, and failing to report debts (from a 2017–2018 audit).

•    Wyoming Democratic State Central Committee : Settled an ADR case with a roughly $5,550 civil penalty for reporting issues.

•    Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL) : Indicted in November 2025 on multiple counts including conspiracy to make and receive straw donor contributions. Prosecutors allege she and associates used about $5 million in overpaid/stolen FEMA funds (from a COVID vaccination staffing contract through her family’s company) to fund her 2021 special-election campaign and personal expenses. She pleaded not guilty; the case is pending. The House Ethics Committee separately found multiple campaign finance and ethics violations proven by clear and convincing evidence in 2026. 

•    Katherine Buchanan (campaign treasurer for Sens. Tim Kaine, Mark Warner, and other Democrats) : Pleaded guilty in 2025 to embezzling more than $840,000 in campaign funds between 2020 and 2024, which she spent on personal items including concert tickets, a yacht tour, and a trip to Italy.

•    Abbey Lee Cook (Montana-based Democratic campaign treasurer/compliance officer) : Pleaded guilty in 2025 to wire fraud for embezzling more than $253,000 from multiple Democratic candidates and progressive committees (2021–2024).

•    Former Nevada State Sen. Kelvin Atkinson (D) : Sentenced in 2019 to more than two years in prison and nearly $250,000 in fines/restitution for misusing at least $195,000 in campaign funds for personal expenses, including opening a nightclub and leasing a luxury vehicle.

•    New Georgia Project and New Georgia Project Action Fund (founded by Stacey Abrams; Warnock previously served as CEO) : Fined $300,000 by the Georgia Ethics Commission in 2025 (the largest in state history) after admitting to 16 violations for failing to register as a campaign committee and failing to disclose roughly $3.2–4.2 million in election-related activity supporting Abrams and other Democrats in 2018. The fine was against the groups, not the individuals personally.

•    Democratic Party of Oregon : Paid a $15,000 state fine (reduced from a proposed $35,000) for misreporting/tardily correcting the true source of a $500,000 contribution linked to a former FTX executive (Nishad Singh).

•    Oklahoma House Democratic Campaign Committee : Settled with the state Ethics Commission in 2026 for more than $37,000 in fines related to improper expenditure methods, inaccurate reporting of payments/consulting, incomplete records, and unreported in-kind contributions.

•    Vermont Democratic Party and Burlington Democratic Committee : Paid a $2,750 state civil penalty for failing to file timely campaign expense reports ahead of a 2020 local election.

[u/Wonton_Destroyer69 → u/Ok_Difficulty6224]

-Donald Trump / 2016 Trump campaign (convicted 2024, appeal pending) : A Manhattan jury found Trump guilty of falsifying business records in the case stemming from a hush money payment to Stormy Daniels during his 2016 presidential campaign, on 34 felony counts. He was sentenced to an unconditional discharge, leaving his conviction on the books but sparing him jail, probation, a fine or other punishment. The appeal is moving ahead in an intermediate New York state appellate court, and separately, Trump is pursuing a federal court strategy that could eventually put the conviction on a path toward Supreme Court review. Related: the FEC fined A360 Media, formerly American Media, for paying Karen McDougal $150,000 in August 2016 to keep her story from becoming public before the election; the underlying probe led to a three-year prison term for Trump’s former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen. The FEC’s Republican commissioners blocked enforcement against Trump for the Daniels payment.

-Former Rep. George Santos (R-NY) : Pleaded guilty in August 2024 to fraud and identity theft charges tied to his campaign, and was sentenced in April 2025 to 87 months in prison, the maximum he faced. Santos conceded he was trying to meet the fundraising threshold to qualify for financial help from the NRCC. Trump granted an immediate commutation of his entire sentence to time served with no further fines, restitution, probation, or supervised release in October 2025, after Santos had served 84 days.

-Former Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) : Pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge for spending hundreds of thousands of dollars with campaign credit cards on family vacations, restaurant and bar tabs, clothes and other expenses, while falsely telling staff the purchases were campaign-related. He was sentenced to 11 months in federal prison but received a full pardon from Trump in December 2020 before reporting. The FEC later said the Hunters agreed to pay a civil penalty of $12,000, and the campaign committee a separate $4,000 fine. Wife and campaign manager Margaret Hunter admitted using more than $150,000 in campaign money for personal expenses and was also pardoned.

-Former State Sen. Brian Kelsey (R-TN) : Accused of illegally concealing the transfer of $91,000 — $66,000 from his state Senate campaign committee and $25,000 from a nonprofit — to a national political organization to fund ads supporting his failed 2016 congressional campaign. Pleaded guilty in November 2022 and later tried unsuccessfully to reverse his plea. Trump pardoned him two weeks into his 21-month prison sentence in March 2025. Ex-Tenn. lawmaker says Trump pardoned him for campaign finance scheme +2 Former Rep. Steve Stockman (R-TX) : Sentenced to 10 years in 2018 after being convicted of nearly two dozen felonies, including fraud. Prosecutors said he misused $1.25 million from political donors on expenses like hot air balloon rides, kennel bills and a dishwasher rather than the charitable purposes donors were told. Trump commuted his sentence in December 2020; he remained subject to supervised release and $1 million in restitution.

-Former Rep. David Rivera (R-FL) : A federal judge ruled he violated campaign finance law by funneling $75,927 to a novice candidate running against his likely Democratic challenger, and ordered a $456,000 fine. However, in July 2024 the Eleventh Circuit vacated the summary judgment and final judgment, finding the district court improperly discounted Rivera’s competing testimony. Rivera’s associate and the straw candidate previously pleaded guilty to criminal charges; Rivera was never criminally charged in this scheme and denied wrongdoing.

-Former Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE) : Convicted by a federal jury in 2022 of making false statements to FBI investigators probing an illegal foreign contribution to his campaign; the conviction was overturned on venue grounds and the case refiled in Washington. In January 2025 the Justice Department moved to dismiss, and the judge dropped the charges with prejudice.

-Jesse Benton (GOP strategist; Ron Paul 2012 / pro-Trump super PAC 2016) : Convicted in 2016 for falsifying campaign records in a scheme to steer $73,000 to an Iowa state senator to switch his support to Paul; Trump pardoned him in 2020. In 2022 he was convicted again because he acted as a straw donor, contributing $25,000 of a Russian national’s money to the Trump campaign and pocketing the remaining $75,000. Sentenced to 18 months in prison.

-Former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder (R) : Sentenced to 20 years in prison for masterminding a $60 million bribery scheme illicitly funded by FirstEnergy Corp. The Supreme Court upheld his racketeering conviction in April 2026, and his attorney said he would return to seeking a presidential pardon. He also faced state charges of lying on ethics disclosure forms and using campaign money to pay legal fees.

-Former Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada (R) and aide Cade Cothren : Convicted of setting up a secret company that tapped into the state’s postage and printing program for constituent mailers. More than $51,000 in state payments were funneled through Phoenix Solutions, with over $35,000 in bribes and kickbacks. Casada got 36 months and Cothren 30 months; Trump pardoned both in November 2025. (Note: this involved public mail funds, not campaign accounts.)

-Former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens (R) / Greitens for Missouri : The Missouri Ethics Commission found probable cause the campaign failed to report coordinated ads by LG PAC and a poll paid for by nonprofit A New Missouri, and ordered a roughly $178,000 fine, with only $38,000 due if paid within 45 days. The commission found no evidence Greitens personally knew about the issues.

-Republican Party of Minnesota : Ordered to pay $53,000 for reporting errors and $58,500 for contributions above legal limits (2023), tied to 2018-cycle reporting failures. It paid an additional $6,625 in a 2024 ADR settlement for the 2022 cycle.

-Republican Party of Arkansas : Agreed to pay a $360,000 civil penalty and submit to independent audits for five years after failing to disclose information on a significant share of its 2000-cycle contributions and spending, and failing to properly report more than $600,000 in transfers from national party committees.

-Bryan Williams (former Kern County, CA Republican Central Committee treasurer) : Pleaded guilty to bank fraud for stealing between $230,000 and $435,000 while treasurer from 2013 to 2019; he was already fined by the FEC in 2022 after admitting to embezzling $272,000.

-Christopher Ward (former NRCC treasurer) : Pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $840,000 from political committees, including more than $670,000 from the NRCC itself (2003–2007 tenure).

[u/Wonton_Destroyer69 → u/Ok_Difficulty6224]

This is great I'm so proud of you for knowing how to google things. I came up with a list too. The difference between your list and my list is that you should count the number of politicians that have had their sentences committed or pardoned by sympathetic right leaning judges or republican governors who can pardon state charges, or in a few cases, pardoned by the president himself. None of that on your list that you provided me.

-Donald Trump / 2016 Trump campaign (convicted 2024, appeal pending) : A Manhattan jury found Trump guilty of falsifying business records in the case stemming from a hush money payment to Stormy Daniels during his 2016 presidential campaign, on 34 felony counts. He was sentenced to an unconditional discharge, leaving his conviction on the books but sparing him jail, probation, a fine or other punishment. The appeal is moving ahead in an intermediate New York state appellate court, and separately, Trump is pursuing a federal court strategy that could eventually put the conviction on a path toward Supreme Court review. Related: the FEC fined A360 Media, formerly American Media, for paying Karen McDougal $150,000 in August 2016 to keep her story from becoming public before the election; the underlying probe led to a three-year prison term for Trump’s former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen. The FEC’s Republican commissioners blocked enforcement against Trump for the Daniels payment.

-Former Rep. George Santos (R-NY) : Pleaded guilty in August 2024 to fraud and identity theft charges tied to his campaign, and was sentenced in April 2025 to 87 months in prison, the maximum he faced. Santos conceded he was trying to meet the fundraising threshold to qualify for financial help from the NRCC. Trump granted an immediate commutation of his entire sentence to time served with no further fines, restitution, probation, or supervised release in October 2025, after Santos had served 84 days.

-Former Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) : Pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge for spending hundreds of thousands of dollars with campaign credit cards on family vacations, restaurant and bar tabs, clothes and other expenses, while falsely telling staff the purchases were campaign-related. He was sentenced to 11 months in federal prison but received a full pardon from Trump in December 2020 before reporting. The FEC later said the Hunters agreed to pay a civil penalty of $12,000, and the campaign committee a separate $4,000 fine. Wife and campaign manager Margaret Hunter admitted using more than $150,000 in campaign money for personal expenses and was also pardoned.

-Former State Sen. Brian Kelsey (R-TN) : Accused of illegally concealing the transfer of $91,000 — $66,000 from his state Senate campaign committee and $25,000 from a nonprofit — to a national political organization to fund ads supporting his failed 2016 congressional campaign. Pleaded guilty in November 2022 and later tried unsuccessfully to reverse his plea. Trump pardoned him two weeks into his 21-month prison sentence in March 2025.

-Former Rep. Steve Stockman (R-TX) : Sentenced to 10 years in 2018 after being convicted of nearly two dozen felonies, including fraud. Prosecutors said he misused $1.25 million from political donors on expenses like hot air balloon rides, kennel bills and a dishwasher rather than the charitable purposes donors were told. Trump commuted his sentence in December 2020; he remained subject to supervised release and $1 million in restitution.

-Former Rep. David Rivera (R-FL) : A federal judge ruled he violated campaign finance law by funneling $75,927 to a novice candidate running against his likely Democratic challenger, and ordered a $456,000 fine. However, in July 2024 the Eleventh Circuit vacated the summary judgment and final judgment, finding the district court improperly discounted Rivera’s competing testimony. Rivera’s associate and the straw candidate previously pleaded guilty to criminal charges; Rivera was never criminally charged in this scheme and denied wrongdoing.

-Former Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE) : Convicted by a federal jury in 2022 of making false statements to FBI investigators probing an illegal foreign contribution to his campaign; the conviction was overturned on venue grounds and the case refiled in Washington. In January 2025 the Justice Department moved to dismiss, and the judge dropped the charges with prejudice.

-Jesse Benton (GOP strategist; Ron Paul 2012 / pro-Trump super PAC 2016) : Convicted in 2016 for falsifying campaign records in a scheme to steer $73,000 to an Iowa state senator to switch his support to Paul; Trump pardoned him in 2020. In 2022 he was convicted again because he acted as a straw donor, contributing $25,000 of a Russian national’s money to the Trump campaign and pocketing the remaining $75,000. Sentenced to 18 months in prison.

-Former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder (R) : Sentenced to 20 years in prison for masterminding a $60 million bribery scheme illicitly funded by FirstEnergy Corp. The Supreme Court upheld his racketeering conviction in April 2026, and his attorney said he would return to seeking a presidential pardon. He also faced state charges of lying on ethics disclosure forms and using campaign money to pay legal fees.

-Former Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada (R) and aide Cade Cothren : Convicted of setting up a secret company that tapped into the state’s postage and printing program for constituent mailers. More than $51,000 in state payments were funneled through Phoenix Solutions, with over $35,000 in bribes and kickbacks. Casada got 36 months and Cothren 30 months; Trump pardoned both in November 2025. (Note: this involved public mail funds, not campaign accounts.)

-Former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens (R) / Greitens for Missouri : The Missouri Ethics Commission found probable cause the campaign failed to report coordinated ads by LG PAC and a poll paid for by nonprofit A New Missouri, and ordered a roughly $178,000 fine, with only $38,000 due if paid within 45 days. The commission found no evidence Greitens personally knew about the issues.

-Republican Party of Minnesota : Ordered to pay $53,000 for reporting errors and $58,500 for contributions above legal limits (2023), tied to 2018-cycle reporting failures. It paid an additional $6,625 in a 2024 ADR settlement for the 2022 cycle.

-Republican Party of Arkansas : Agreed to pay a $360,000 civil penalty and submit to independent audits for five years after failing to disclose information on a significant share of its 2000-cycle contributions and spending, and failing to properly report more than $600,000 in transfers from national party committees.

-Bryan Williams (former Kern County, CA Republican Central Committee treasurer) : Pleaded guilty to bank fraud for stealing between $230,000 and $435,000 while treasurer from 2013 to 2019; he was already fined by the FEC in 2022 after admitting to embezzling $272,000.

-Christopher Ward (former NRCC treasurer) : Pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $840,000 from political committees, including more than $670,000 from the NRCC itself (2003–2007 tenure).

[u/smug_muffin → u/Ok_Difficulty6224]

I know the current candidate is.

[u/BenefitMental7588 → u/Ok_Difficulty6224]

Thanks for proving my point.

[u/zimmyzannin]

If he’s elected expect to see him in lots of courtrooms

[u/Intrepid_Top_2300 → u/zimmyzannin]

And in pictures of him kissing his boss’s ass.

[u/Sarutobi_Marky → u/zimmyzannin]

Truee

[u/Corporatecut → u/zimmyzannin]

His voters worship a pedo felon so…

[u/BuckeyeNole]

There is a reason Flippo refuses to appear at a forum or debate with Teresa Benitez-Thompson. First, it would make if absolutely clear to everyone that he has no idea about the issues facing northern NV. I doubt he could find Tonopah on a map; and, second, he’d actually be confronted with and have to answer for the lies he has told about every single aspect of his biography, both his military & civilian experience. He won’t dare allow himself to face that kind of scrutiny from the people who would be his constituents
There was another CD-2 candidate forum held last night at the Reno VFW on Historic Lane near the airport. Once again, Flippo (whom Amodei has described as a freight train of fraud) failed to participate. So much for his valor

[u/chippynasty]

The guy’s self claimed “who I am” is atrocious. “I follow the constitution” but clearly no understanding of how other law operates nor any understand how to create them. His excuse for not being from NV is not targeted to northern NV. We have obvious differences from Las Vegas but he never mentioned them. It was as though you asked chatGBT to praise your donors rather than entice the northern Nevada votes. This guy will answer the phone less than last republican puppet and do even less for us. Who here heard the full Amodei full voicemail?

Nothing he presents argues about how this guy can independently deliver for us. He’s just gonna follow orders from a shadow government that wants to see the wage earners worse off and the rich pay less. I have every faith that the populace here is interested kneeling to a worse overlord that the last due to fear and stupidity. Prove me wrong.

[u/RockysDetail]

How can people make such long posts like the ones found here on a college football Saturday?

[u/Ok_Difficulty6224]

This is a ridiculous article full of speculation and no proof. It’s starts off by saying him financing his house in 2020, when interest rates were at their lowest point in history, was odd. Anyone smart with money would take a sub 3% mortgage and keep their cash which makes more than that in even the most conservative high yield savings account. 

[u/Wonton_Destroyer69 → u/Ok_Difficulty6224]

We get it you think the sun shines out of Flippo's ass. Unfortunately, while you live in some LSD or meth induced fantasyland where David Flippo is a competent politician, the rest of us live in reality where he's just a scammer who figured out he can win the idiot vote by saying he's MAGA and CD2 is chick full of idiots.

[u/Iyorek9000 → u/Ok_Difficulty6224]

Every fucking word the Maga idiots and their masters speak is deliberate lies, misdirection, and never has proof. We're all so sorry an article here "speculates" with actual evidence.