On June 2, 2025, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) fined the 2020 re-election campaign of Representative Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) $68,000 for multiple campaign finance violations.

Maxine Waters Slapped With $68,000 FEC Fine for Violating Campaign Finance Laws

Details of the violations
According to the FEC’s investigation, the “Citizens for Waters” campaign committee committed the following violations:

Accepted $19,000 from seven individuals in excess of the legal contribution limit.

Made four cash payments totaling $7,000, exceeding the permitted limit for campaign cash payments.

Inaccurate reporting of revenues and expenditures led to hundreds of thousands of dollars in underreporting in 2020.

To avoid lengthy litigation, the Waters campaign agreed to pay a fine and take corrective actions, including sending its treasurer to an FEC-sponsored training program within a year of the settlement taking effect.

Campaign attorney Leilani Beaver said the errors were not intentional and were largely due to staffing and resource shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic. The campaign has returned or forgone excess contributions and adjusted its financial reports to reflect more accurately.

This is not the first time the Waters campaign has been criticized for its financial problems. She previously came under scrutiny for paying more than $818,000 in campaign funds to her daughter, Karen Waters, to produce campaign materials. However, the FEC dismissed the related complaints in 2021.
Free Beacon

The heavy fines for Rep. Maxine Waters’ campaign underscore the importance of strict compliance with campaign finance regulations. While the errors were deemed unintentional, the consequences were serious and require campaigns to have stronger internal controls in place to ensure transparency and compliance with the law.