Hospitalized Brad Parscale being probed for stealing up to $40M from Trump Campaign, $10M from RNC: Report
President Donald Trump's former campaign boss, Brad Parscale, who was demoted earlier this year, is currently under investigation for stealing around $25-$40 million from Trump's 2020 presidential campaign, DailyMail quoted sources as saying. Parscale, who is currently hospitalized, is also under probe for pocketing an additional $10 million from the Republican National Committee, the outlet reported. The report comes hours after the 44-year-old was admitted to a hospital involuntarily by Fort Lauderdale police on Sunday, September 27, after a concerning episode at his home in Florida. Parscale's wife, Candice, was reportedly seen screaming and fleeing the house in her bikini as she told a passerby: "I think my husband just killed himself." Over 20 police cars rushed to the property after Candice told officers that she had heard a revolver being cocked and a "loud boom" shortly after her husband began "ranting and raving."
According to an officer's report, she told authorities that Parscale had been "stressed out for the past two weeks and has made suicidal comments throughout the week to shoot himself." The outlet quoted a Trump insider as saying that ever since Parscale was demoted in July and was replaced by his former number two, Bill Stepien, he has been worried about the "gravy train" ending, making it difficult to keep up his extravagant lifestyle.
While the Trump Campaign is yet to respond to the report, RNC Rapid Response Director Steve Guest, in a statement to the outlet, rubbished the reports of an investigation into Parscale, saying: "This report is categorically false. There is no audit or investigation of Brad at the RNC."
It was reported in July that President Trump had lost his faith in Parscale after his much-hyped campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where many seats were left empty. Parscale was then demoted to his previous role in digital and data strategy. Just days after the decision was made, a source reportedly told the Daily Mail that Trump had ordered an audit of the spending of the Republican National Committee. It was reported that the investigation appeared to focus on examining the handling of campaign money by Parscale, putting him under "tremendous pressure."
"The thing about what Parscale did with the finances of the campaign could actually be totally legal," the source told the outlet. "But Brad has tons of bills since his lifestyle picked up, and he sees the gravy train coming to an end."
Days after his demotion, the outlet had also published pictures of Parscale, his wife, and other friends drinking liquor by their pool. The outlet's source, however, said that such scenes had become routine for Parscale who was seen stumbling out of bars in Fort Lauderdale, where he and his wife own three swish condos worth a combined $5 million. The pair also reportedly have nearly $300,000 worth of cars, including a Range Rover, a 2017 Ferrari, and a BMW X6. Parscale, according to public records, has also owned around eight boats. Trump Campaign records showed that Parscale was earning $15,000 a month as Trump's electioneering aide.