Rep. Maxine Waters asks Justice Department to investigate fake letter tweeted by Republican opponent



December 14, 2017

Rep. Maxine Waters is asking the Justice Department to look into a fake letter posted to Twitter by her Republican challenger that falsely indicated the congresswoman wants to resettle tens of thousand of refugees in her Los Angeles district.

The GOP candidate, Omar Navarro, posted the letter on what looks like official House of Representatives letterhead to Twitter on Monday. The letter, which purports to be from the congresswoman, says the congresswoman wants to bring refugees to her congressional district after the 2018 election “and perhaps even once I have secured the Speaker of the House position.”

Navarro accompanied the tweeted letter with a message: “According to this document, Maxine Waters wants more terrorists, like the one who bombed NYC, in California’s 43rd District. As Congressman of CA’s 43rd District, I will oppose such policies.”

It’s been retweeted more than 680 times. But the letter is “a forgery and a fake,” her chief of staff, Twaun Samuel, said in a news release.

The letter, dated June of this year, also contains several inaccuracies. It references multiple committees and subcommittees Waters does not serve on, and lists an address for a district office that has been closed for nearly a decade.

Waters filed a complaint about the tweeted letter with the House general counsel, who forwarded the complaint to the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California and the fraud section of the Criminal Division for the United States Department of Justice.

The complaint states that Waters has not communicated with the letter’s purported addressee — Teri Williams, who is president and chief operating officer of the Los Angeles-based OneUnited Bank, about any refugee resettlement program.

Impersonating a federal official and misusing a federal seal are federal crimes.

Navarro, who is backed by big name far-right conservatives, said Thursday that the letter was sent to his campaign through Facebook by a person he didn’t know. He said neither the Justice Department or Waters’ staff has asked him about the letter.

“I don’t know if it’s real or not, so I put it out there,” Navarro said, adding that he believed his followers would help him determine if it is real. “It doesn’t say that I know. It’s according to this document … what, am I supposed to send it to her and get an email back from Maxine?”



Omar Navarro ✔ @RealOmarNavarro According to this document, Maxine Waters wants more terrorists, like the one who bombed NYC, in California’s 43rd District.
As Congressman of CA’s 43rd District, I will oppose such policies. #VoteNavarro2018http://Www.omarnavarro.com/donate
12:13 PM - Dec 11, 2017



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