A group launched by Georgia Democratic gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams is doling out thousands in payments to its director’s family and friends who do not appear to have political experience and maintain other full-time jobs, records reviewed by Fox News Digital show.
The Abrams-founded Fair Fight PAC is funneling the cash to individuals close to her longtime aide Andre Fields, who acts as the PAC’s political director. When reached for comment, a Fair Fight spokesperson said they are launching an internal investigation into the matter.
“Fair Fight strives to operate with the utmost integrity, as is core to our values,” the spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “We take these matters very seriously and have initiated a comprehensive investigation. Personnel will remain on leave pending the outcome.”
Fields’ sister, Darius Faulk, is one of the cash recipients. The Fair Fight PAC has disbursed more than $120,000 to her for training consultant services since August 2021, Federal Election Commission records show.
STACEY ABRAMS’ CAMPAIGN HAS SPENT OVER $1.2M ON PRIVATE SECURITY SINCE DECEMBER
FILE – In this Monday, Nov. 2, 2020, file photo, Stacey Abrams speaks to Biden supporters as they wait for former President Barack Obama to arrive and speak at a campaign rally for Biden at Turner Field in Atlanta. Abrams is making another gubernatorial run in 2022. Boosted by President Biden’s win and two U.S. Senate victories, high-profile Democratic candidates in Georgia are running for statewide office in a way unseen in years.
((AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File))
Faulk appears to have practically no political experience. She’s worked for Hofstra University’s women’s basketball program since 2017, serving as its director of operations before landing a promotion to assistant coach, according to the school’s athletic website.
The Fair Fight PAC has also paid Fields’ close friends. In a 2019 interview with Voyage Atlanta, Fields named Asa Fludd and Cruz Alvarado among his close confidants, and both have hauled in tens of thousands of dollars from Abrams’ PAC.
Fludd has collected $29,800 in training consulting payments from the committee since 2021, its filings show. Her LinkedIn indicates that she also does not have experience in the political world and works in computer systems training. Alvarado, meanwhile, has also pocketed around $29,000 for training consulting in 2021 and 2022 while working in the event industry, according to her LinkedIn profile.
While the three combined to receive more than $178,000 from the Fair Fight PAC for training consulting services, a search of records shows that they have not received consulting payments from other federal political committees.
Abrams founded Fair Fight Action — a 501(c)4 nonprofit — in 2018 to address voter suppression in the wake of her loss to now-Governor Brian Kemp. Fair Fight Action’s operation expanded in 2019 to include a political arm in the form of Fair Fight PAC.
GEORGE SOROS PROVIDES ANOTHER $1M BOOST TO STACEY ABRAMS’ CANDIDACY
Stacey Abrams, Democratic gubernatorial candidate for Georgia, speaks during a campaign event in Reynolds, Georgia, US, on Saturday, June 4, 2022. Abrams will face Georgia governor Brian Kemp in the general election on November 8, 2022.
(Dustin Chambers/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Since 2018, the Fair Fight network has helped Abrams lay the groundwork for her second run against Kemp for the governor’s mansion.
The Fair Fight PAC paid Atlanta-based private security company Executive Protection Agencies (EPA Security) over $550,000 between July 2021 and November 2021 and more than $1.2 million over the course of the year, according to Federal Election Commission filings.
Abrams faced some fire over the private security payments, with critics citing her opposition to the “privatization of justice” and past support for gun control and the defund-the-police movement.
The campaign has been an uphill battle for Abrams as she trails behind Kemp in the polls, and the national attitude toward Democrats is sour.
STACEY ABRAMS RECEIVED SIX-FIGURE INCOME FROM MYSTERIOUS CORPORATE ENTITY
Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams speaks to supporters and members of the Rabun County Democrats group on July 28, 2022, in Clayton, Georgia. Abrams is running against current Georgia Governor Brian Kemp. The election is to be held on November 8, 2022.
(Megan Varner/Getty Images)
A September Fox News poll showed Kemp leading Abrams by seven points, with independent voters breaking for the Republican incumbent by 12 points.
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The Georgia Democrat refused to concede the race to Kemp and accused him of engaging in voter suppression while overseeing the election as secretary of state. However, Abrams has admitted she has “no empirical evidence” to prove the allegations.
Fox News Digital’s Jessica Chasmar contributed reporting.
