Burnt Orange Report

More on the CR's Fundraising Scam

By Byron LaMasters

This out of North Carolina:

An 86-year-old widow who lives on a fixed income in Burlington and reads her mail with a magnifying glass has little understanding that she's given the College Republican National Committee 40 donations since January worth $1,789.

In Chapel Hill, an 82-year-old widower living in a retirement community is surprised to learn he's given to the same group 52 times for a total of $2,266, all since January.

North of Winston-Salem, a 79-year-old woman can hardly believe that she's made 72 donations this year totaling $1,533, frequently writing checks every few days.

"Great day, they'd think I was rich if I could give that much to them," said the woman, Jacqueline Hall, recalling only a few gifts of $15 or $25. "I'm on a limited income. I'm a widow. I don't have money like that to spend. ... I wouldn't even think about sending $900."

The next day, though, after going through her records, she realized the total is accurate.

"It's amazing the mail that I get from Washington, D.C.," she said, seemingly confused as to how she had racked up such a sum.

Across the state and country, the CRNC, a century-old Republican youth organization, has aggressively solicited money from elderly people, writing "urgent," high-pressure pitch letters that often touch on senior citizens' fears.

According to IRS records analyzed by The Herald-Sun, at least 87 percent of the group's North Carolina donations came from people who listed their occupation as retired, a much higher rate than that of similar groups. Most of the donors reached by The Herald-Sun were in their 80s.

Scamming seniors... just what Republicans do best (among many other things). The Brown University Democrats Blog was on this yesterday and I posted on it based on this Seattle Times article. We'll see what comes out next...