on dirty money

Remember when Debbie Mucarsel-Powell called on Carlos Curbelo to return money from Pat Meehan, and Curbelo immediately donated it to a women’s organization in South Florida?  I do.

Times have changed. Mucarsel-Powell is now refusing to return money she got from Tony Cardenas’ PAC. Cardenas is currently facing a lawsuit for allegedly molesting a teenage girl. Hypocrisy….thy name is Debbie Mucarsel-Powell.

Mucarsel-Powell criticized for taking PAC money linked to politician accused of molesting teen
Marc Caputo
Politico
September 17, 2018

Democratic congressional candidate Debbie Mucarsel-Powell is under fire from her Republican opponent, Miami Rep. Carlos Curbelo, for taking money from a political committee led by a California congressman accused of molesting a teen.

Mucarsel-Powell has been endorsed by California Rep. Tony Cárdenas and boasted about support from BOLD PAC, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus’ political committee that he chairs and that contributed $5,000 to her in December. Months later, a woman filed a lawsuit that accused Cardenas of groping her as a teenager a decade ago.

Cardenas is fighting the charges and his fellow Democrats have stood by him, refusing to call for his resignation and by keeping him in charge of BOLD PAC. Those are signs of tacit support that, Curbelo’s campaign says, conflict with sentiment behind a Thursday tweet from Mucarsel-Powell, who said, “we must always stand with victims of sexual violence and hold perpetrators accountable.”

Joanna Rodriguez, Curbelo’s campaign adviser, said Mucarsel-Powell has a different standard when it comes to members of her own party.

“Mucarsel-Powell may talk a big game about protecting women and children, but when the Democratic establishment told her to ignore the serious allegations of sexual assault and take Tony Cardenas’s money anyway that’s exactly what she did,” Rodriguez said. “Her silence is an insult to all who have been victims of sexual assault.”

Mucarsel-Powell’s campaign spokesman, Mike Hernandez, said the candidate is not jumping to conclusions.

“As a woman and a mother raising her two daughters these accusations are obviously concerning for Debbie and she’s waiting to learn more of the facts as the case develops,” Hernandez said in a written statement. “Frankly, it’s pathetic that Congressman Curbelo would use this as a political issue as he continues to welcome President Trump, who openly bragged about forcefully groping women and has been accused of sexual assault by no less than 11 women, to campaign with him.”

A Cardenas spokesman did not return emails seeking comment.

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