The campaign committee of failed Republican U.S. House candidate Bo Hines, a hard-core Donald Trump supporter who narrowly lost his high-profile race in North Carolina, was fined nearly $12,000 by the Federal Election Commission for federal campaign finance violations, according to records released today by the agency.
The FEC accused Hines of failing to properly disclose numerous last-minute campaign contributions during both the primary and general election phases of his North Carolina District 13 congressional race. Taken together, the properly disclosed contributions totaled $112,400, the FEC said.
A Sept. 29 letter from FEC Chairwoman Dara Lindenbaum to Bo Hines for Congress treasurer Jason D. Boles confirmed that Hines' committee paid the fine on Sept. 17.
Now-Rep. Wiley Nickel, a Democrat, defeated Hines by about 3 percentage points in November.
This isn't the first time Hines' finances — be them campaign or personal — have invited scrutiny.
During his congressional bid, Hines bemoaned the state of the national economy and twice declared that he couldn't afford to even give up a month's salary.
"We have bills to pay, we have rent to pay," said Hines, a former college football player and graduate of Wake Forest Law School.
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But a certified personal financial disclosure Hines by law filed during his campaign indicated that Hines had no salary at all. The only asset he listed was the "Hines Children's Trust" fund worth up to $1 million, and from which he drew between $50,000 and $100,000 during the preceding year," Business Insider reported.
Hines or a Hines campaign representative could not immediately be reached for comment. In recent weeks, Hines has announced his support for Rep. Jim Jordan's House speakership bid — Jordan withdrew from consideration today — and bashed President Joe Biden as corrupt.
"Sleepy Joe’s corruption is unfathomable," Hines wrote on social media platform X, a week after his campaign committee paid its FEC fine. "Cannot wait to have Donald J. Trump back in the White House…"
