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The Meth Lab At the Heart of Rep. Eli Crane’s Campaign [1]

['Greg Dworkin', 'Gary Turner', 'Crimson Quillfeather']

Date: 2026-09-18  

Rep. Eli Crane Re-Hires Paid Political Consultant Involved With Meth Lab, Other Drugs

Ongoing publicity indicates that a drug bust involving a paid political consultant for Congressman Eli Crane was more serious than first reported. The quantity and variety of hard drugs in the home Crane’s paid political consultant was sharing with a boyfriend was much more serious than original reports indicated. They had custody of two small children who lived with them in the home, while they were manufacturing methamphetamine and trafficking other dangerous drugs.

Crane has taken very strong stands against drugs, even supporting air strikes against people in boats near South America. They were killed without warning or evidence of wrongdoing. In contrast, Crane’s paid political consultant got off with probation for her involvement with drugs.

There was some discussion that the people involved with the drugs felt they may receive some measure of protection because of their involvement with the Congressman. According to reporting by the Daily Beast, “Pitha’s boyfriend thought their political ties could help them avoid prosecution.” Crane continues to pay his political consultant for campaign work even after her arrest and conviction. She worked for several other Republican members of Congress who terminated her after the drug bust.

The reporting is the work of the Copper Courier, a free newspaper belonging to a network of publications.

“In 2016, Emily Pitha and her then-boyfriend, Christopher Hustrulid, were arrested after authorities discovered methamphetamine, LSD, heroin, cocaine and a large amount of cash inside their Phoenix home, the Copper Courier said, citing Scripps News. The couple also appeared to have a meth lab in their backyard, the paper said.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/9/18/800099963/community/rep-eli-crane-needs-to-face-the-meth-lab-in-the-room/

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