GOP fundraisers convinced 82-year-old woman who 'wore pajamas with holes' to donate $350K

22 October 2024

Anyone who signs an online political petition is likely to be bombarded with fundraising requests. Donation pitches can be quite aggressive in presidential elections, and convince voters to dig deep even if their finances are stretched thin.

In a report published on October 22, nine CNN journalists detail Republican fundraising that targets seniors who are giving away much more than they can afford to.

According to CNN, "More than 1000 reports filed with government agencies and consumer advocacy groups reviewed by CNN, along with an analysis of campaign finance data and interviews with dozens of contributors and their family members, show how deceptive political fundraisers have victimized hundreds of elderly Americans and misled those battling dementia or other cognitive impairments into giving away millions of dollars — far more than they ever intended. Some unintentionally joined the ranks of the top grassroots political donors in the country as they tapped into retirement savings and went into debt, contributing six-figure sums through thousands of transactions."

On X, formerly Twitter, Politico's Nicholas Wu highlights one of the examples described in the report: an 82-year-old woman "who wore pajamas with holes in them because she didn't want to spend money on new ones" and "didn’t realize she had given Republicans more than $350,000 while living in a 1000-square-foot Baltimore condo since 2020.'"

CNN's report also describes "80-year-old communications engineer from Texas" who "had saved for decades, driving around in an old car and buying clothes from thrift stores so he'd have enough money to enjoy his retirement years."

"But as dementia robbed him of his reasoning abilities," CNN explains, "he began making online political donations over and over again — eventually telling his son he believed he was part of a network of political operatives communicating with key Republican leaders. In less than two years, the man became one of the country's largest grassroots supporters of the Republican Party, ultimately giving away nearly half a million dollars to former President Donald Trump and other candidates. Now, the savings account he spent his whole life building is practically empty."

According to CNN, the donors cited in the report "were often in their 80s and 90s."

"They included retired public workers, house cleaners and veterans, widows living alone, nursing home residents and people who donated more money than they paid for their homes, according to records and interviews," CNN explains. "The money they gave came from pensions, Social Security payments and retirement savings accounts meant to last decades."

CNN continues, "Donors took out new credit cards and mortgages to pay for the contributions. In some cases, they gave away most of their life savings. Their cell phones and email inboxes were so full of pleas for money that they missed photos of their grandkids and other important messages. At least one person continued to be charged for contributions after his death."

Read CNN's full report at this link.

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