Marjorie Taylor Greene sees first fundraising loss

The campaign committee for Marjorie Taylor Greene has reported its first net loss since she was elected, according to its most recent filing with the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

On Friday a $314,000 deficit over the first three months of 2022 was reported and previous contribution totals were revised down by more than $100,000, The Daily Beast was first to report.

Rep. Greene’s committee, Greene for Congress, is known as one of the top fundraisers in the House. However it spent $1.38million in the first quarter of 2022, but only took in $1.06m in donations.

There are three sizable increases in outgoing funds recorded for the Georgia congresswoman: higher fundraising costs; fees to Donald Trump’s principal 6 January attorney; and a surge in spending on security.

Approximately three-quarters of the money raised was spent on fundraising costs after Rep. Greene added a direct mail campaign to an already costly digital operation, spending an additional $400,000 on printing, postage, and other related expenses.

The big increase in personal security expenses saw her pay out a total of $140,000 in monthly instalments, to KaJor Group, a Knoxville-based company which also provided protection to Kenosha shooter Kyle Rittenhouse during his 2021 trial.

This spike in protection spending comes after the FEC ruled last year that elected officials could hire bodyguards using campaign funds in the wake of the 6th January riot at the US Capitol. Mostly Democrats took advantage of the new rule.

Last year, Rep Greene reported $12,000 in security expenses, largely for a new security system. Her more than tenfold surge in security costs in early 2022 coincided with the first anniversary of the Jan 6th attack.

The Georgian congresswoman has downplayed the riots by Trump supporters while also being accused by fellow lawmakers of inciting violence with her rhetoric.

She recently criticised media attention on the Jan 6th attacks, arguing that it “only happened one time”.

The Independent contact Rep Greene’s office about the latest FEC filing.

Her spokesperson cited an uptick in threats to Rep Greene, to The Daily Beast , including the recent arrest of a New York man who made threatening calls to her Washington office but would not provide specifics on her security arrangements.

Ms Greene has also hired former president Donald Trump’s legal adviser John Eastman, paying a $10,000 retainer to his firm the Constitutional Counsel Group.

Mr Eastman is a focus of the congressional investigation into the events of Jan 6th. He is alleged to have devised the scheme to subvert the Electoral College count.

A statement from Ms Greene’s campaign to The Daily Beast reads: “Dr Eastman is one of the leading constitutional attorneys in the country. When we need advice on significant constitutional issues, we have occasionally sought his counsel.

“The particular issues for which we sought his advice are protected by attorney-client privilege, however.”

Ms Greene is facing a constitutional challenge to her candidacy for reelection for allegedly giving aid to the insurrectionists who stormed the Capitol.

That lawsuit was filed in March some weeks after the retainer to Mr Eastman was paid.