PHOTOS: Cindy Hyde-Smith Bought A Car With Her Campaign Money
Patrick Howley
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Mississippi interim senator Cindy Hyde-Smith reportedly purchased a car for herself with her campaign money.
In 2014, Hyde-Smith’s re-election campaign for state Agriculture Commissioner paid more than $24,000 for a Dodge Charger, which Hyde-Smith uses to commute to work at the State Capitol according to photographs. Though not illegal in Mississippi, the former Democrat’s use of campaign dollars for a personal car raises more ethical questions in the wake of our reporting on Umesh Sanjanwala, her heavy donor and state director whose daughter served as a consultant for Hillary Clinton.
Jackson Jambalaya printed photos of Hyde-Smith’s car parked at the state Agriculture office:
Jackson Jambalaya
Jackson Jambalaya also printed the CHS report showing a Hyde-Smith campaign disbursement for $24,255 to Roundtree Dodge of Jackson, Mississippi:
Hyde-Smith is coming under scrutiny for her business relationship with Umesh Sanjanwala, the father of a Hillary Clinton consultant. Records reveal that Hyde-Smith and Sanjanwala owned a failed business and a domain name Journey2Heaven.com, which previously hosted occult-themed services for communicating with the dead.
Sanjanwala is a major donor to Hyde-Smith’s political career, having worked under her during Hyde-Smith’s stint as Mississippi agriculture commissioner. Hyde-Smith’s link to Sanjanwala is reminiscent of former DNC chairwoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz’s employment of IT aide Imran Awan. Hyde-Smith is trying to defend the seat she was appointed to against insurgent conservative state senator Chris McDaniel.
Umesh Sanjawala is Cindy Hyde-Smith’s Mississippi state director in her Senate office. He reportedly met Hyde-Smith in 2010.
Umesh Sanjanwala was a major donor to Hyde-Smith’s past campaign for state agriculture commissioner, according to records. He also served as official spokesman for her campaign.
Sanjanwala donated more than $57,000 to Hyde-Smith’s agriculture commissioner campaign over a period of six months.
As of 2014, one of Hyde-Smith and Sanjanwala’s projects was Journey2Heaven.com, for which Hyde-Smith was officially listed as a manager of the company.
The company never got off the ground with Hyde-Smith and Sanjanwala at the helm. Hyde-Smith tested her “online ministry” out at a Baptist church in 2017, which she hoped could serve as a “pilot” church for her company. The website never went live with Hyde-Smith’s visions.
Interestingly, the domain Journey2Heaven.com was previously occupied by a company specializing in communicating with the dead through occult rituals, and promoted an event by hypnotherapist “Reverend” Liz Bright Leon. Hyde-Smith’s campaign did not immediately return a request for comment for this report.
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