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No report on a political figure accused of fraud is complete without a shot of the figure's lavish home (or homes) and a new car with the dealer plates still on.
But that's not when MyFox reporter Gina Silva found when she tried to track down embattled campaign treasurer Kinde Durkee for a comment at her home in Bixby Knolls.
Durkee stepped back into her truck and turned away, refusing to comment. Her husband was driving and he tried to make a quick getaway, but the truck stalled. If Durkee has taken millions from Democratic politicians ranging from the local city council to Sen. Dianne Feinstein, it appears that none of it went to the upkeep of the family truck.
Her frumpy appearance (confirmed by the video) makes it hard to tell where exactly the siphoned money went. This is part of what may have caught politicians off-guard, according The Orange County Register:
People who know Durkee, 58, describe her as frumpy, with a bargain-store wardrobe. Her Long Beach home is weather-beaten, with paint peeling from the front door and a rusted doorbell hanging from the wall. The front lawn is dry and yellow. The flowerbed is thorny and overgrown. She owns a dirt-encrusted 1995 Audi, with tags that expired nearly a year ago. "She lived a modest life, drove a modest car, wore modest clothes," said Frank Barbaro, chairman of the Orange County Democratic Party. "That's why it's so surprising."
In the meantime, Democratic politicians are still reeling and checking their ledgers. Feinstein donated $5 million to her own campaign, which gives you an idea of the scandal's scope.
