The fifth district of Michigan is represented by Rep. Dan Kildee, who was formerly elected in 2012. He has been leasing office space in the Phil and Jocelyn Hagemen-owned Dryden Building in Flint, Michigan, ever since 2019.
From $12,000 to almost $15,000 per quarter, according to house records, is what Kildee’s paying on the office area, which features exposed brick and marble window sills.
Kildee Gets Special Deal
The financial papers for the building reveal that Kildee pays less for his space than any other renter, giving the impression he is getting a special bargain on the rent.
Internet service provider CenturyLink, a neighboring tenant, pays $18.29 per square foot at the Dryden Building.
Kildee spends $12.85 per square foot, in comparison, according to the Free Beacon. One of the main tenants of the property, Advanced Local Media LLC, pays $14 per square foot.
Curiously, as per campaign finance records, the Hagemens have given Kildee’s campaigns several thousand dollars since 2012.
Considering that House ethics rules prevent members from engaging in leasing arrangements with anybody they “had, or continue to have, a business or legal contact with,” top ethics watchdog groups are examining Kildee’s link with the Hagemens.
Kildee’s friendship with the Hagemens might not be a “smart thing to do,” according to Kendra Arnold, executive director of the Foundation for Accountability and Civil Trust, who spoke to the Free Beacon.
Democrat Rep. Dan Kildee Paid Donor $200K in Taxpayer Dollars for Discounted Office Space https://t.co/5yl2Y0lp3e
— RodsAndGuitars (@CurtisioUsa) October 6, 2022
Richard said the following:
“It might fall under the heading of being a bad idea or something that constituents might not agree with, due to the relationship.”
“The Federal Elections Commission is only scanning these filings for big red flags, such as if the numbers don’t match up, rather than extensively scrutinizing them. They don’t look at every single expenditure. The whole populace is the source of true oversight.”
Kildee Facing Scrutiny
The Hagemens’ agreement with Kildee would not be the first time his financial dealings have come under scrutiny.
The Michigan Democrat has taken nine trips supported by special interests, totaling more than $100,000, frequently including his family.
Breitbart News noted last month that Kildee traveled to “Denmark, India, Sudan, Lebanon, and three trips to Israel, where he continually stays in upscale hotels.”
Kildee is one of the most steadfast Democrats in office, despite his attempts to disassociate himself from the Democrat Party by criticizing President Biden’s spending proposals and deleting the name of the organization from his advertisements.
BUSTED: Rep. Dan Kildee (D-MI) took over $100,000 in special interest-funded vacations since his time in office, often bringing his family with him. https://t.co/5RubywvATr
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) August 27, 2022
For instance, statistics from FiveThirtyEight show Kildee always votes with Biden. Additionally, Kildee is a whip of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, whose responsibility is to persuade other Democrats to support the party’s leadership in voting.
As shown in a fundraising appeal Pelosi sent out on Kildee’s behalf, gerrymandering forced him to run for another term representing Michigan’s eighth district, making this cycle “his hardest reelection campaign yet.”
As per Real Clear Politics, Republican Paul Junge, a former member of the Trump administration who is fighting Kildee, has effectively tied the election.
This article appeared in Conservative Cardinal and has been published here with permission.
