According to Federal Election Commission (FEC) documents, Republican Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw’s campaign has paid a tiny firm that employs his wife hundreds of thousands of dollars since 2020.
Pink Cilantro is a Houston, Texas-based boutique branding agency.
The Daily Caller broke the story on Monday.
Crenshaw’s campaign has paid Pink Cilantro more than $350,000 since 2020.
A Crenshaw spokesman confirmed that Tara Crenshaw is still employed by Pink Cilantro, but that her job is distinct from that of Crenshaw’s campaign.
“Tara works for the digital marketing firm Pink Cilantro, which has been compensated by the campaign for services rendered in full compliance with all applicable rules,” the spokesperson claimed.
Basya Benshushan, the owner of the company, described the work Pink Cilantro did for Crenshaw as “branding, website design and maintenance for all of their websites. Managing their online store. Merchandise design, promotion, and fulfillment. Marketing and reporting monthly merchandise sales. Designing, constructing, and staffing Crenshaw merchandise sales booths at different Crenshaw events. Digital fundraising and lead generation for Crenshaw.”
Pink Cilantro is reported as “Spouse salary” on Crenshaw’s financial disclosure form.
Tara Crenshaw is said to have gotten over $60,000 from the firm, all on commission.
Most shockingly of all however is the fact that the company is also receiving money from notoriously anti-Trump congressman Adam Kinzinger.
According to FEC documents, Kinzinger’s campaign has paid Pink Cilantro about $500,000 since 2021.
Regarding the connection to Kinzinger, Benshushan said the following “Kinzinger sought us out due to Crenshaw’s impressive branding. Pink Cilantro developed Crenshaw’s brand and Kinzinger wanted an agency that could develop their brand.”
He went on to describe the connection as a “headline for the RINO hunters.”
Crenshaw has become a major Republican star of the Trump era, and has used clever use of social media and collaborations with conservative youth organizations like TPUSA to promote himself.
While a longtime ally of President Trump, Crenshaw has continued to take extremely hawkish stands on foreign policy issues as well as viewing organizations like the FBI in a positive light, a disposition which has sometimes led him into conflict with other notables within the Trump movement, like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia.
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