EXPLOSIVE CLAIMS

Trump-Backed MAGA Rep Hit by ‘Sweat Shop’ Racism Claims

Twelve campaign workers have sued MAGA congressman Mike Lawler.

A MAGA congressman backed by Donald Trump has been hit with an explosive lawsuit on the eve of the midterms that alleges workers hired to canvass for him were exploited, underpaid, and subjected to racist abuse in a “sweat shop” operation.

Rep. Mike Lawler has won the president’s backing in his fight to retain his New York congressional seat against “Reckless, Radical, and Dangerous” Democrat Cait Conley in Tuesday’s election. On Saturday, Trump called the 40-year-old a “true America First Patriot,” a “Strong Champion,” and declared, “Mike Lawler has my Complete and Total Endorsement for Re-Election.”

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But Trump’s Truth Social endorsement came just one day after Lawler was named alongside his campaign and seven other defendants in a federal lawsuit brought by 12 canvassers alleging wage violations, discrimination, and retaliation, PunchUp reported Tuesday.

Lawler is being sued personally and through his campaign, but the alleged discriminatory remarks are attributed to individuals working for contractors, not the congressman himself. The suit—filed Friday in the Southern District of New York—has not been adjudicated, and no findings of wrongdoing have been made.

Lawler’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment from PunchUp, the Daily Beast’s sister Substack. The lawsuit was first reported on by Bloomberg. Semafor’s Max Tani reported that the campaign is “revoking all RSVPs and press credentials from Bloomberg reporters” in response to the story, and that any Bloomberg reporter who tries to attend any events will be “treated as a trespasser.”

The workers allege they were recruited from Texas, Georgia, South Carolina, Maryland and Michigan to canvass in Westchester County in September, only to discover their promised employment conditions had changed.

The complaint alleges defendants deliberately recruited people from distant states to make leaving difficult. Once they arrived, it claims, “they would be trapped in New York and would need to continue to work.”

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A recruitment flyer promised “$2 A DOOR,” “MAKE $1,500 - $3,000 WEEKLY BASE PAY + BONUSES,” “HOUSING COVERED WE TAKE CARE OF YOUR STAY” and “TRAVEL COVERED GET TO NEW YORK ON US.”

Instead, workers allegedly learned at orientation they would receive $1 per door, without guaranteed pay, and had to knock on 100 doors daily to keep their accommodation. Promised travel reimbursements were allegedly withdrawn.

The plaintiffs claim they worked 70 to 84 hours weekly without minimum wages or overtime, describing the operation as a “canvassers’ sweat shop.”

One canvasser, Bernardette Hurtte-Reid, alleges she was paid just $275, an effective hourly rate of $3.27 to $3.93, according to the lawsuit. Another, Sceletia Evans, claims she received no payment at all.

The complaint also details alleged racist, ageist, and religious discrimination, PunchUp reports.

Eric Ramon Diaz Vasquez, director of subcontractor Momentum X Group, allegedly told workers their job was so simple that “even monkeys can do it.” Later, he allegedly approached Black canvassers and said he felt “like he’s surrounded by a group of monkeys.” The plaintiffs say they took the remark to be related to their race. Vasquez did not respond to a request for comment.

Two older Muslim canvassers, Yvette Burke and Hurtte-Reid, allege Anastasia Yopp, a recruiter named as a defendant in the lawsuit, called them “the geriatric crew” and suggested they could not keep up. Yopp also allegedly told them, “You move too slow. You’re too big.”

When Burke inquired about another job in Tampa, Florida, Yopp—a Trump supporter—allegedly told her she was “too old, too fat, and unhealthy.” The women also claim they were called “the ladies with the head wraps” because they wore hijabs.

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The complaint does not claim Lawler witnessed the alleged discriminatory incidents.

The lawsuit also alleges Yopp recruited and onboarded canvassers, assigned duties, and influenced hiring and firing. Yopp acknowledged recruiting workers on behalf of fellow defendant Victory Field Operations (VFO) but vehemently denied making the discriminatory remarks or being responsible for paying them, claiming VFO’s HR department handled payroll.

She disputed suggestions that workers were housed in poor-quality accommodation, telling PunchUp they stayed in “nice rooms” at the Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton in Yonkers, New York, at a total cost of $7,000 a week, including breakfast, and provided a room list which named several of the plaintiffs.

Yopp also shared text messages showing she helped organize flights home for several canvassers suing her, including the two women accusing her of age discrimination. Yopp also claimed she spent her own money assisting workers after the operation collapsed.

Yopp denied having any contact with Lawler’s campaign. “I don’t speak to them at all,” she told PunchUp.

Another canvasser, Danielle Lee, alleges she was branded “a problem” after requesting a room transfer because of a severe dog allergy and was dismissed the following day. Several other workers allegedly complained about their pay and treatment on Sept. 11 only to be fired hours later, the suit claims.

The plaintiffs argue that Lawler and his campaign exercised enough control over the operation to bear legal responsibility for what they allegedly went through, and want a jury trial as they seek damages for alleged wage violations, breach of contract, discrimination, and retaliation.

Aside from Lawler and his campaign, the other defendants include four consulting and canvassing companies—Threshold Strategies, VFO, Ven-Vamos Strategies and Momentum X Group—plus Vasquez, Yopp and Nadir A. Perez.

The plaintiffs allege Perez, founder and CEO of subcontractor Ven-Vamos Strategies, had authority over hiring, firing, and employment conditions, making him legally responsible for the alleged mistreatment.

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After the defendants were notified of legal claims against them, the complaint also alleges one plaintiff received a death threat involving their child, though it does not identify who was behind it or claim there was any involvement from those named in the suit.

PunchUp sought comment from Lawler’s campaign and the contractors named in the lawsuit. They had not responded by the time of publication.

Tom Latchem exposes the secrets, scandals, and stories that powerful people and institutions want to keep under wraps. Follow all of his reporting at PunchUp on Substack.

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