MI-13: U.S. House hopeful Tlaib pays self salary from campaign funds
Washington — U.S. House hopeful Rashida Tlaib has paid herself a $4,000-a-month salary from campaign funds, which is legal under federal rules and common, experts say.
Tlaib, a former state lawmaker from Detroit, is running in the Democratic primary in the 13th District to succeed resigned U.S. Rep. John Conyers Jr. along with five other candidates.
Tlaib reported her salary — $4,000 a month in May and June — in her latest filing with the Federal Election Commission.
Tlaib says she took a leave of absence from her position as a lawyer for the Sugar Law Center for Economic & Social Justice to campaign, cutting down her hours at the firm to seven a week.
Campaign donors want her to win and understand that entails stepping away from a steady paycheck to spend more time with voters, Tlaib said.
“I pay exactly what I need for me to step away from my full-time position,” she said.
Unlike some of her opponents, Tlaib said she does not currently hold an office that would allow her to campaign “on the public dime."
“It shows for me there is so much more at stake because I’ve put my life on hold,” she added.
Other hopefuls include Detroit City Council President Brenda Jones, state Sens. Ian Conyers and Coleman Young, Westland Mayor Bill Wild and former state Rep. Shanelle Jackson.
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2018/07/18/tlaib-pays-self-salary-congress-campaign/797307002/