A conservative watchdog group said Wednesday it has filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission charging that the Democratic National Committee violated federal law when it hired an illegal immigrant as a “fellow” ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
Judicial Watch said in a complaint to the FEC that the DNC had hired Cindy Nava, a so-called “Dreamer,” as of June, despite the fact that her application for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) had not yet been approved.
The group said federal law bars foreign nationals from participating “directly or indirectly in the decision-making process” of federal, state, or local election-related activities.
“On its face, the DNC’s decision to hire Ms. Nava is in direct violation of this provision,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton wrote in the complaint. “The FEC should investigate this matter further to determine the full extent of Ms. Nava’s responsibilities, her relationship to the policy making team, and her effect on the 2016 DNC election strategy.”
The DNC did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the complaint.
The complaint references a Washington Post article about Ms. Nava dated June 8 that says she was still awaiting word on whether her DACA application would be approved and includes a glowing quote from DNC Chairwoman Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida.
An investigation, the complaint said, would shed light on Ms. Nava’s responsibilities with the DNC, and would reveal whether the public statements by the DNC and Ms. Nava “is political fluff designed to embolden a political base or an egregious and flagrant violation of Federal election law.”
“No wonder this nation has a border and an illegal alien crisis. Not only do we have a major political party knowingly employing an illegal alien, but also openly boasting about it to the nation’s press,” Mr. Fitton said. “The DNC should be held accountable by the FEC for hiring an illegal alien in violation of both federal immigration and election laws. Frankly, the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security should also take appropriate law enforcement action.”
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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