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CNN Investigates: How elderly dementia patients are unwittingly fueling political campaigns
CNN Investigates
How elderly dementia patients are unwittingly fueling political campaigns
A CNN investigation reveals how deceptive political fundraising has misled elderly Americans into giving away millions of dollars
By Blake Ellis, Melanie Hicken, Yahya Abou-Ghazala, Audrey Ash, Kyung Lah, Anna-Maja Rappard, Casey Tolan, Lou Robinson and Byron Manley, CNN
Published October 22, 2024
(CNN) — The 80-year-old communications engineer from Texas had saved for decades, driving around in an old car and buying clothes from thrift stores so he’d have enough money to enjoy his retirement years.
But as dementia robbed him of his reasoning abilities, he began making online political donations over and over again — eventually telling his son he believed he was part of a network of political operatives communicating with key Republican leaders. In less than two years, the man became one of the country’s largest grassroots supporters of the Republican Party, ultimately giving away nearly half a million dollars to former President Donald Trump and other candidates. Now, the savings account he spent his whole life building is practically empty.
The story of this unlikely political benefactor is one of many playing out across the country.
More than 1,000 reports filed with government agencies and consumer advocacy groups reviewed by CNN, along with an analysis of campaign finance data and interviews with dozens of contributors and their family members, show how deceptive political fundraisers have victimized hundreds of elderly Americans and misled those battling dementia or other cognitive impairments into giving away millions of dollars — far more than they ever intended. Some unintentionally joined the ranks of the top grassroots political donors in the country as they tapped into retirement savings and went into debt, contributing six-figure sums through thousands of transactions.
/snip
How elderly dementia patients are unwittingly fueling political campaigns
A CNN investigation reveals how deceptive political fundraising has misled elderly Americans into giving away millions of dollars
By Blake Ellis, Melanie Hicken, Yahya Abou-Ghazala, Audrey Ash, Kyung Lah, Anna-Maja Rappard, Casey Tolan, Lou Robinson and Byron Manley, CNN
Published October 22, 2024
(CNN) — The 80-year-old communications engineer from Texas had saved for decades, driving around in an old car and buying clothes from thrift stores so he’d have enough money to enjoy his retirement years.
But as dementia robbed him of his reasoning abilities, he began making online political donations over and over again — eventually telling his son he believed he was part of a network of political operatives communicating with key Republican leaders. In less than two years, the man became one of the country’s largest grassroots supporters of the Republican Party, ultimately giving away nearly half a million dollars to former President Donald Trump and other candidates. Now, the savings account he spent his whole life building is practically empty.
The story of this unlikely political benefactor is one of many playing out across the country.
More than 1,000 reports filed with government agencies and consumer advocacy groups reviewed by CNN, along with an analysis of campaign finance data and interviews with dozens of contributors and their family members, show how deceptive political fundraisers have victimized hundreds of elderly Americans and misled those battling dementia or other cognitive impairments into giving away millions of dollars — far more than they ever intended. Some unintentionally joined the ranks of the top grassroots political donors in the country as they tapped into retirement savings and went into debt, contributing six-figure sums through thousands of transactions.
/snip
23 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
Political Robotexts
Robotexts – text messages generated through autodialing – are also considered a type of call and must comply with the same rules as robocalls.
Political text messages sent to a mobile phone using an autodialer require the called party's prior express consent. Messages sent manually can be sent without prior consent.
If you are receiving texts that you didn't ask for, report the sender by forwarding the texts to 7726 (or "SPAM"
.
Campaigns should also honor opt-out requests if you reply "STOP."
https://www.fcc.gov/rules-political-campaign-calls-and-texts
I have a hard time sympathizing with ANY republican donors though. A fool and his money....... 
