AMAC Exclusive – By Andrew Abbott
After trailing Democrat U.S. Rep Karen Bass by as many as 12 points in August in the Los Angeles mayoral race, conservative Rick Caruso had significantly narrowed the gap to just three points earlier this month, well within the margin of error. While the factors leading to Democratic struggles nationally have undoubtedly played into Caruso’s resurgence, Bass has also become embroiled in a scandal involving the University of Southern California (USC) which is hampering her candidacy.
The saga began late last year when a federal grand jury indicted Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas on bribery and fraud charges. According to the indictment, Ridley-Thomas orchestrated contracts between USC and the city for services that would yield millions in taxpayer dollars for USC. In exchange, the school gave Ridley-Thomas’s son a “full-tuition scholarship and a paid professorship” as well as “a mechanism to funnel Ridley-Thomas campaign funds through the university to a non-profit to be operated by the relative.”
While investigating Ridley-Thomas, the prosecutors found emails that suggested Bass was the beneficiary of a similar agreement. In emails between Marilyn Flynn, then-Dean of the USC social work program that Bass would ultimately earn a master’s degree from while in Congress, and another school official, Flynn said she would offer Ridley-Thomas’ son a “full scholarship between the two schools. I did the same for Karen Bass – full scholarship for our funds.”
The investigation subsequently revealed that Bass received a $95,000 full-ride scholarship from USC beginning in 2011. As the LA Times notes, the scholarship was “more generous than grants typically given to other students.” When asked to produce her application for USC’s social work program, the Bass campaign released an application to attend classes on a “limited status.” According to USC’s own rules, students who attend classes on a limited status are not formally admitted and are barred from receiving financial aid.
Other details of the case also raise red flags. For instance, Bass failed to report the scholarship in her financial disclosures until 2019 – a mistake that her office blamed on a former staffer. The scholarship was also not advertised online, has not been offered since, and appears to have been a gift offered fully at the discretion of Dean Flynn. And shortly after enrolling in the program, Bass sponsored a bill in Congress which would have expanded access for USC and other institutions to federal funding for social work.
At this point, prosecutors maintain that Bass is not “a target or a subject of our office’s investigation.” Yet they have stated that her dealings with the university are “critical” to their broader investigation into corruption at the university. As both Flynn and Ridley-Thomas are set to stand trial in November, Bass’s involvement in the quid-pro-quo could come under increased scrutiny.
These allegations suggest deeply unethical behavior that is unfortunately not unprecedented. A recent LA Times report found that California legislators routinely leave office for lucrative fellowships and teaching positions at USC, which has an endowment of more than $8 billion and is considered one of the best schools in the country. The piece notes that former Los Angeles City Councilman Bernard Parks said he “wasn’t surprised to hear that Bass received the scholarship” because “that’s their history… They use their leverage on people they believe will help them now and in the future.”
For decades, universities have played an overtly activist and aggressive role in public policy. Although universities are legally prohibited from forming PACs or directly supporting candidates, individuals associated with various education institutions spent more than $64.5 million supporting Democratic candidates in 2018 alone, according to an Open Secrets report. Only $12 million was directed to Republican candidates. This is in addition to the $77.4 million that “Big Ed” spent on lobbyists.
While concerning, these donation and lobbying efforts are far from the most ethically questionable ties between Big Ed and elected officials. Democrat leaders and legislators will routinely use universities as a revolving door. Senator Elizabeth Warren, for instance, faced severe criticism when it was revealed that she received more than $400,000 from Harvard University for only teaching one class each semester. In 2019, Tucker Carlson dedicated an entire show to how unusual it is that Chelsea Clinton, Chris Cuomo, the Obama daughters, the son of Bill DeBlasio, all four Gore children, and the children of multiple Democrat senators all attend or attended elite ivy league universities.
It’s not just politicians who are gaming the system, either. In 2019, dozens of wealthy business and Hollywood elites were caught up in “Operation Varsity Blues,” a massive corruption scandal involving pay-for-play schemes at a number of prestigious U.S. institutions.
Karen Bass’s campaign for LA Mayor may not ultimately be undone by these latest revelations – after all, in deep blue California, voters have shown time and again they are willing to ignore any number of unsavory actions by a candidate with a “D” next to their name. But the implications of this scandal raise fresh concerns about corruption among the ranks of elected officials and officers at elite academic institutions that Americans should not ignore.
Andrew Abbott is the pen name of a writer and public affairs consultant with over a decade of experience in DC at the intersection of politics and culture.