U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock
Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., amassed a half-a-million-dollars from outside employers and book deals according to financial disclosure records— more than doubling his income since becoming a U.S. senator in 2021. Yet earlier this year Warnock’s ex-wife Oulèye Ndoye had to file a custody suit against him saying that he left her “financially strapped” by saddling her with unpaid childcare expenses even as his “income has substantially increased.”
The records indicate Warnock disclosed a total income of $532,781 in 2021, a hike from the $221,602 he earned during the year before his election. Less than half of his income last year came from his Senate salary, which was $164,816. Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, which he still pastors, paid him an additional $120,964, including a $7,417-per-month housing allowance. Penguin Random House also paid him $243,750 as an advance on his memoir that was published in June, and he received $5,750 in speaking fees.
Warnock’s spike in earnings comes two years after he accused his predecessor, former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler, of “using the people’s seat to enrich yourself.” His GOP opponent this year, Herschel Walker, yesterday replied with a scathing statement: “Raphael Warnock cares more about lining his own pockets than helping the people of Georgia.” Walker also notes that Warnock skipped votes on legislation that assist veterans (related to the PACT Act) in order to promote his new book.
The Washington Free Beacon notes the senator has already drawn public scrutiny for some of his unusual financial arrangements. While senators are prohibited from accepting more than $29,000 in outside income, Warnock raked in $120,000 last year from Ebenezer Baptist Church— but dodged the income cap by taking most of that money as a “housing allowance.” He was also hit with election finance complaints in July for using campaign funds to fight personal lawsuits that predated his run for office.
His campaign said $89,000 of his salary from Ebenezer was a “personal parsonage allowance” to pay for his housing, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Warnock’s home in Atlanta is worth around $1 million, the AJC reported.
As for Warnock’s ex-wife, she recently retained a new attorney to continue the fight against her ex-husband to attain adequate child support and visitation rights.
