Senate Hopeful’s Campaign Contributions Under Scrutiny
Michael Whatley’s campaign for the U.S. Senate has garnered over $40,000 in contributions from individuals linked to Veterans Guardian, a company under fire for allegedly exploiting veterans.
The donors in question are connected to a Pinehurst-based for-profit entity, Veterans Guardian, which purports to assist veterans with filing disability claims and optimizing their health care benefits.
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has labeled Veterans Guardian as a “claims shark,” criticizing the company for imposing high fees on veterans for services that the VA offers at no cost.
Key players at Veterans Guardian include Scott Greenblatt and Bill Taylor, who each contributed $7,000 to Whatley’s campaign in the last quarter. Additionally, both individuals donated $10,000 apiece to a political action committee backing Whatley.
Additional campaign donations include $2,000 from Brian Johnson, the firm’s executive vice president, and $6,930 from Patricia Taylor, a company advisor.
In 2019, the VA issued a cease-and-desist letter to Veterans Guardian, asserting that the company is legally barred from aiding veterans in the management of their VA benefits. Despite this, there is no indication that the company adjusted its operations or responded to the VA’s notice.
Three years later, during a U.S. House subcommittee hearing on claims sharks, Taylor stated that Veterans Guardian never received the VA’s cease-and-desist letter. Congress later criticized him for this omission.
In the same year, the American Legion, a group advocating for veterans’ rights, advised veterans to steer clear of Veterans Guardian, branding the company as “predatory” and likening it to “a pack of vultures.”
More recently, a former employee filed a whistleblower lawsuit against Veterans Guardian. The lawsuit alleges the company instructed clients to exaggerate their conditions and present themselves in a disheveled manner during VA meetings to improve their chances of receiving benefits. The lawsuit is still active.
In September, Greenblatt and Taylor also organized a fundraising event for Whatley, where ticket prices ranged from $250 to $14,000.
Whatley is campaigning to succeed outgoing Republican Sen. Thom Tillis in the upcoming 2026 election, with former Gov. Roy Cooper anticipated to be his Democratic opponent.
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