279: Michael Capps – Republican Sexual Predators

Michael Capps was a Kansas state representative who managed to disgust the Republican party enough they withdrew their support from him. He was accused of abuse of a foster child. He was a CASA volunteer and a foster mother complained to the Department of Children and Families (DCF) about his interactions with the two boys she was caring for. The investigation confirmed her complaint that the boys were allowed to sit on Capps’ lap and rub his chest but then it was overturned because DCF made mistakes filing the paperwork. Capps asserts this reversal clears him, but neither CASA nor his own party agreed. He was asked to step down so they can run another candidate but he refused.

He makes this list twice!

Michael Capps also collaborated in a scheme to smear a Democratic candidate for Mayor of Wichita, Brandon Whipple. Capps conspired with James Clendenin (Wichita City Council) and Michael O’Donnell (Sedgwick County Commissioner) to run an ad accusing Whipple of sexual harassment. They hired an actress who claimed she was told she was doing a public service announcement. They ran the money through a nonprofit charity, also illegal. Then Capps set up a shell company to hire someone to make the video and run the ads. The producer is also a piece of work, changing his story to accuse several different people of being behind the ads. He got his legal advice from Alexa and Siri.

To the conspirators chagrin, the producer recorded the conspirators plotting how to get away with the smear by framing Republican party officials. In the recording, Capps says something that encapsulates the danger of electing anti-government politicians. If you believe everyone is unethical, you give yourself an excuse for being unethical. Capps said, “It’s what we do. It’s the way the system works. Nobody wants to know how the sausage is made, they only want the sausage when it is done. And that’s the principleL this is the sausage making and nobody likes to see it.”

Their actions are predatory and damaging to real survivors of sexual harassment. People want to believe harassment allegations are false, so people who conspire to create false allegations are not only harming the person they smear but smearing survivors everywhere. While few woman make false allegations, rape culture asserts it is common.

In other unethical conduct, Capps and Clendenin are accused of stealing COVID relief funds. Capps has been indicted on 19 counts of fraud and money laundering.