Representative Elissa Slotkin is facing a Federal Election Commission investigation into a home she rented to a wealthy donor last year while running for re-election in Michigan, DailyMail.com can reveal.
Last year, local media reported that she was renting a furnished property in Lansing from Jerry Hollister, a medical manufacturing company executive and donor to her campaign. She paid $2,000 a month for the furnished apartment, including utilities.
Now the Committee to Defeat the President, a conservative political action committee, says she paid below market price in a deal amounting to an in-kind campaign contribution that was never declared and exceeded donation limits.
“The people of Michigan deserve much better than a two-faced politician like Slotkin, who tried to pull one on his constituents to preserve his political career,” said Ted Harvey, president of the group.
“With Slotkin now considering a Senate seat, Michiganders would be wise to look elsewhere and demand accountability.”
Representative Elaine Slotkin (D-Michigan) rented a house from Jerry Hollister, a medical manufacturing company executive and donor to her campaign, last year when she was re-elected to the House
Slotkin’s campaign said she was paying $2,000 a month for a furnished condo with utilities. The committee to defeat the president said the fair market rent would have been much higher
The FEC acknowledged receipt of the complaint and began the review process.
Neither Slotkin nor Hollister responded to multiple requests for comment.
Slotkin was then re-elected in November’s midterm elections.
On Monday, she announced she would seek the Senate seat left vacant by fellow Democrat Debbie Stabenow’s decision not to run for re-election in 2024.
But that still leaves her facing questions about her House campaign, having left her family home to settle in the newly redistributed 7th congressional district based around Lansing.
Property records reviewed by DailyMail.com show Slotkin was listed living in a two-bedroom condo in Lansing from May last year.
This property is owned by Hollister and his wife.
He is the director of government relations at Niowave, a maker of medical radioisotopes, and which has donated at least $1,400 to Slotkin’s campaigns since 2018, according to federal filings.
“As the campaign was legally required to include such in-kind contributions in the campaign’s regular financial reports and failed to do so, the campaign violated applicable campaign finance law,” reads the statement. the complaint filed with the Federal Election Commission last week.
Property records show Slotkin had been living in this townhouse in Lansing, Michigan, since May of last year. It belongs to Hollister and his wife
The Detroit News reported that Slotkin had signed a seven-month lease that would run until the election.
Amid a furor over whether his residency was a stunt, the campaign said it opted for a short-term deal due to the rapidly changing and inflated market.
And the campaign said Slotkin was paying a fair rate for the furnished condo: $2,000 a month including utilities.
But a fair rent for the 1,840-square-foot, two-bedroom townhouse in Lansing is estimated by market listing site Zillow at $1,850 in 2020.
In its complaint, the Committee to Defeat the President estimates that a fair market rent in 2022, including furnishings and utilities, for the property would be closer to $2,600.
“As the campaign was legally required to include such in-kind contributions in the campaign’s regular financial reports and failed to do so, the campaign violated applicable campaign finance law,” reads the statement. the complaint.
He also alleges that Hollister exceeded donation limits.
“Slotkin’s acceptance of Hollister’s monthly in-kind contributions for his personal residence … has resulted in Hollister exceeding applicable contribution limits for the 2021/22 election cycle,” it says.
And it all amounted to a personal use of campaign funds, the complaint alleges.
“Notwithstanding the fact that campaign funds do not appear to have been withdrawn from the campaign bank account to pay for Slotkin’s personal residence, Slotkin has nonetheless committed to personal use of campaign contributions by accepting a monthly contribution in-kind in the form of a monthly rental rate for his personal residence, furnishings and utility payments…,” he says.
