Tipsheet

Spencer Pratt Vows to Drop the Hammer on LA Fraud

Republican Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt vowed to pursue criminal charges against city officials over what he described as widespread corruption during a recent interview on the “All-In Podcast.” In particular, he pledged to crack down on the network of non-governmental organizations that have become a favorite vehicle for politically connected insiders to steal taxpayer money. 

Pratt also claimed government sources told him that city officials have been shredding documents that could expose their wrongdoing. Despite the alleged destruction of evidence, he said that if elected, his administration would still be able to deliver justice.

"But in just the sense, it's an easy way out. Oh, we're we're solving this. We're working on this. Two ways you can look at it. I think they're all criminals," Pratt said. "Thankfully. I've talked to the Justice Department sources and City officials are going to go down. They are complicit. Here’s the hard part about catching these people: They’re literally taking money with poker chips, goods, and services. Criminals are smart now. They’re not just saying, ‘Zelle me the money,’ right? But from my sources, we are going to see actual city officials go down—not quick enough, because they got to frame these people up."

But again, how does Spencer stop this when he’s mayor? I’ve met with the criminal investigation team at the IRS six times. First week in office, you bring all of them in. We audit every NGO, every document that hasn’t been shredded. Some insiders at City Hall have told me, you know, they’re shredding these documents. I have more faith in my criminal investigation team. They'll be able to figure out without the documents, even if they're shredded, but that's what's happening. They're shredding the documents.

This comes as Pratt’s messaging has begun to dominate the mayoral race, with the Republican candidate mercilessly hammering both incumbent Mayor Karen Bass and socialist City Councilwoman Nithya Raman during last week’s mayoral debate. He refused to let the two establishment-backed candidates sidestep the reality that many of the city’s biggest problems were caused directly by their left-wing policies. Democrats, however, continue insisting they simply need more of the same policies and more funding to make them finally work.

Since the debate, Pratt has surged in the race, though polling has not yet reached the point where analysts believe Los Angeles could realistically turn red. Even so, Pratt has argued that much of his support is coming from Democrats alongside independents and Republicans alike. According to him, the only voters firmly against his campaign are socialists and communists.