Maxine Waters is facing new complaints about a shady “slate mailer” operation run through her Citizens for Waters campaign that’s paid the congresswoman’s daughter $750,000 since 2004.

Federal Elections Commission data shows that in May alone Citizens for Waters collected at least $218,000 from various candidates for California governor, local judge races, U.S. Senate and other state and local offices to appear on sample ballots Waters’ campaign sends

out to hundreds of thousands of voters in Los Angeles.

It’s an ethically questionable scheme designed to skirt campaign finance laws that limit individual and PAC contributions that also benefits Karen Waters, the 79-year-old congresswoman’s daughter. Karen Waters has received $54,000 from Citizens for Waters so far in 2018. She collected about $72,000 in 2016.

Fox News explains how it works:

California’s top politicians as well as local office-seekers have given far in excess of legal contribution limits to her campaign to be on her slate of endorsed candidates. The campaign then pays Karen Waters and other firms to produce, print and mail the sample ballots. …

Legally, candidates are paying a reimbursement for the slate mailer, rather than buying an endorsement. But it’s difficult to prove whether the Waters endorsement comes as a result of the payment or if already endorsed candidates are paying for their share, said Adav Noti, a former FEC assistant general counsel.

The FEC ruled in 2004 that the slate mailers don’t technically violate the letter of the law, but the National Legal and Policy Center filed a fresh complaint in July, alleging specific contributions from the California Democratic Party on behalf of Sen. Kamala Harris were illegal.

“It is apparent that the $35,000 contribution to the Citizens for Waters campaign committee from the Democratic State Central Committee of California was a coordinated communication between the committees to place Kamala Harris on the late ballot for the 2016 general election, the complaint reads. “This coordinated communication violates campaign finance contribution limits under (federal laws).”

The government watchdog is calling for a full audit of Citizens for Waters, and plans to follow up with a second FEC complaint soon to focus on its relationship with Karen Waters, according to the group’s director of government integrity, Tom Anderson.

Anderson said Waters uses the slate mailer as a political weapon to pressure politicians to pay up.

“She comes knocking on other politicians in California to say, ‘do you want my endorsement,’ because she knows they don’t want her opposing them,” he told Fox News.

“If you don’t pay to be on her slate, then maybe you’re one of Trump’s people,” he said. “A local politician, like a judge, does not want to be on her bad side.”

John Wonderlich, executive director of the Sunlight Foundation watchdog group that first reported on Karen Waters’ lucrative arrangement with the Waters campaign in 2010, told Fox News the five-figure payments for the slate mailers “certainly violates the spirit of campaign finance laws, but the FEC doesn’t seem to think it violates the letter of the law.”

A federal audit could set the record straight.

“In this case, is it a question of enrichment for a family member?” Wonderlich questioned. “How much of the money passes through to cover postage and printing? It may be unsavory but not corrupt. Much of it hinges on the extent to which the money passes through.”