Senator Warnock doubles income after accusing predecessor of using position to enrich herself

by ALEC SCHEMMEL | The National Desk

Mon, August 29th 2022, 7:48 PM UTC

FILE - Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., speaks at the Gwinnett County Democratic Party fundraiser on May 21, 2022 in Norcross, Ga. Four years ago, Georgia Democrats had a contested primary for governor because the party old guard didn't believe in Stacey Abrams. She blew away the elders' alternative and, in a close general election loss, established herself as de facto party boss in a newfound battleground. (AP Photo/Akili-Casundria Ramsess, File)

FILE - Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., speaks to reporters alongside Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., during a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, on Jan. 18, 2022. Herschel Walker will represent the Republican Party in its efforts to unseat Warnock in November. (AP Photo/Amanda Andrade-Rhoades, File)

Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock exhorts the crowd on Saturday, Aug. 27, 2022 at the Democratic Party of Georgia convention in Columbus, Ga. Warnock is seeking reelection to a full six-year term in November against candidates including Republican Herschel Walker. (AP Photo/Jeff Amy)

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FILE - Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., speaks at the Gwinnett County Democratic Party fundraiser on May 21, 2022 in Norcross, Ga. Four years ago, Georgia Democrats had a contested primary for governor because the party old guard didn't believe in Stacey Abrams. She blew away the elders' alternative and, in a close general election loss, established herself as de facto party boss in a newfound battleground. (AP Photo/Akili-Casundria Ramsess, File)

ATLANTA (TND) — Despite accusing his predecessor of using her seat in the U.S. Senate to enrich herself, Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock has more than doubled his income since joining Congress, financial records show.

After winning his election against Republican Kelly Loeffler, Warnock brought in around $532,781 in earnings, financial disclosure reports show. That is more than twice as much as he brought in the year prior, before becoming Senator, when his reported income was around $221,602.

In addition to his reported $164,816 salary from the Senate in 2021, Warnock was given an additional $120,964 from Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church, where he has worked as the senior pastor, disclosure records show.

Publishing company Penguin Random House also gave Warnock a $243,750 advance for his memoir that came out in June of this year.

All of that, plus some speaking fees, amounts to more than double what Warnock made the year prior, before his election to the Senate.

Since becoming Senator, Warnock has been hit with allegations of ethical violations and allegations of violations of federal rules governing the personal use of campaign funds.

He reportedly skirted congressional ethics rules capping the amount of outside income senators can accrue by labeling his earnings from Ebenezer "personal parsonage allowance" which, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, is not subject to the same congressional ethics caps.

Warnock also used campaign money to cover legal expenses for a lawsuit relating to his time as a church minister, according to Politico.

"Raphael Warnock cares more about himself than the people of Georgia. He has been trying to cash in on his job since day one," a spokesperson for Herschel Walker, Warnock's challenger this November, told The Washington Free Beacon. "Warnock is always looking for another chance to use his position to make more money and misuse campaign funds."

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The National Desk reached out to Warnock and his political campaign for comment, but did not receive one prior to publication. If a comment is received, it will be added to this story.

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