Who Is Mike Crapo's Wife? New Details On Susan Crapo
They are Mormons.
getty Who is Mike Crapo’s wife and how does she feel about his recent opinions and involvement in politics? It’s what many of us have been asking ourselves over the last few weeks during the Brett Kavanaugh hearings and subsequent appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court, along with many other questions about why or why not people support or oppose him. It’s certainly been a contentious time in the Senate, with Senators going head-to-head over whether or not to confirm Kavanaugh.
But like many Republicans, Senator Mike Crapo voted this past weekend to confirm Kavanaugh, even amidst multiple allegations he had sexually assaulted Christine Blasey Ford, had been part of situations with sexual misconduct, and was part of a group of boys who took advantage of girls to gang rape them, of which a third woman, Julie Swetnick, names him as a witness to her own rape.
Despite the allegations, “limited scope” FBI investigation, and testimony from Ford, Crapo defended his vote, saying, “All witnesses said to have direct knowledge of the allegations as well as others who might have indirect information were interviewed. Neither the FBI nor the Senate Judiciary Committee, in their separate investigations — both conducted under penalty of felony — found evidence corroborating the allegations made against Judge Kavanaugh. Having weighed the over 500,000 documents provided, five days of public testimony and the thorough vetting completed on Judge Kavanaugh, I voted to confirm Judge Brett Kavanaugh as a justice of the Supreme Court.”
But Crapo is no stranger to supporting conservative values, as he has been a Republican Senator from Idaho since 1998. Before this, he was a U.S. Representative from 1993 to 1999 for Idaho's 2nd congressional district. He was also in the Idaho Senate in 1984 and served as Senate President pro tempore from 1988 to 1992.
While serving, he’s voted against expanded background checks for gun buyers, health reform legislation, wrote a letter with other senators urging the president to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, and has pushed to create a “federal Office of Men’s Health” (whatever that means).
But when it comes to his personal life, we’d like to know more about his wife, Susan Crapo. Here are a few things to know about her and their life together.
1. They’ve been together for over 40 years.
Photo: AP
The couple married back in June 1974, right after he received his bachelor’s degree and while he was studying law at Harvard. Since marrying, they’ve had five children: Paul, Michelle, Stephanie, Laura, and Brian, and eleven grandchildren. Talk about a big family!
2. They are Mormons.
The couple belongs to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, meaning they are Mormon. Crapo is one of just six Senators to be members of the church.
3. She’s been the subject of multiple scandals.
For almost two decades, Crapo paid his wife almost $200,000 from contributions to his political action committee, Freedom Fund. Back in 2008, a national watchdog group ranked the Senator among the top three Senators who paid the most to family for campaigning. It’s illegal to pay family members to work in congressional offices but it’s not against the law to pay them for working on campaigns.
According to Crapo’s office, “She [Susan] provides labor and items for gift bags used at two major fundraisers that Senator Crapo holds in Idaho each year, and she frequently provides support for campaign activities around the state with him, particularly during campaign years.” And at two fundraisers in 2015 and 2016 Hook N Bullet, “The items created and provided by Susan Crapo for the gift bags during that time frame include homemade cinnamon bread, homemade raspberry and strawberry jam, neck pillows, homemade salsa, fleece/fur blankets, handcrafted semi-precious stone jewelry, pieced quilts, and homemade granola.”
If the campaign overpaid Susan, it’s a violation of campaign finance laws. It’s also kind of suspicious that she received a measly $965.73 in 2015 and $381 in 2016, right before elections, but then after Crapo won re-election, she was paid over $17,000.
Samantha Maffucci is an associate editor for YourTango who focuses on writing trending news and entertainment pieces. In her free time, you can find her obsessing about cats, wine, and all things Vanderpump Rules.