Rep. Maxine Waters' GOP challenger has a date with the FBI about a forged letter

(Image credit: John Sciulli/Getty Images for Politicon)

Maybe if Omar Navarro ever makes it to Congress, he can try to change the federal laws that prohibit impersonating a federal official and misusing a federal seal. In the meantime, he is scheduled to meet with the FBI on Wednesday to argue that he did nothing wrong by tweeting a forged letter purporting to be from Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), who he's running against in the midterms. The letter appears to be on stationery from Waters' House office and includes her signature and some inaccuracies about her committee assignments and other facts. Navarro, a Republican, posted it in December and the tweet is still up, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Navarro, a popular far-right media personality, said somebody sent his campaign the letter on Facebook and he didn't vet it before posting it to Twitter. "I don't know why they are looking into me since I'm not the one who fabricated the letter," Navarro told the Times on Monday. In the letter, the fake Waters discuses her plans to relocate 41,000 refugees in her district after the election, "and perhaps even once I have secured the speaker of the House position."

Waters, who is running for a 15th term, got 72 percent of the vote in California's top-two primary. Navarro came in second with 14 percent.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.