Disgraced former senator writing new book, claims he was collateral damage in attack on Trump

Former Sen. Brent Waltz is looking to capitalize on his status as a federal felon with a new book.

Tentatively titled “POW: Prisoner of Washington,” the memoir documents “a conservative’s journey through our justice system,” according to a preliminary book cover Waltz shared with IndyStar.

Waltz, who is still on probation, said the book is scheduled to be released Aug. 20.

The publisher is Nashville-based Post Hill Press , which specializes in conservative political books. Its other titles include “Laptop from Hell,” a book about Hunter Biden’s laptop by New York Post columnist Miranda Devine, and “Government Gangsters,” by Donald Trump advisor Kash Patel, who has threatened to come after political adversaries if the former president returns to power.

The contents of Waltz’s book are still under wraps, but the cover suggests he will lean heavily into his previous claims that he was the victim of a political witch hunt targeting supporters of Donald Trump.

Waltz finished a stint last year at a low-security federal prison in Ashland, Kentucky. He pleaded guilty in 2022 to making and receiving illegal campaign contributions and lying to the FBI. The charges stem from a scheme to funnel casino cash to Waltz’s unsuccessful 2015 campaign for Congress.

In a wild interview just hours after he was sentenced to 10 months in prison, Waltz told IndyStar he was merely collateral damage in the FBI’s effort to “attack Donald Trump’s political infrastructure.”

According to Waltz, the man federal authorities were really after was former Indiana casino mogul Rod Ratcliff , a major fundraiser for Trump. When they couldn't get him, they turned to Waltz and his co-defendant, John Keeler, who is one of Ratcliff's longtime executives and a former state lawmaker.

"I think that when the FBI throws a large bomb, there's a lot of people who get wounded in the explosion by the shrapnel,” he said during a 2022 interview with IndyStar.

Prosecutors said Waltz, a Republican from Greenwood, benefited from more than $40,000 in campaign contributions from Ratcliff’s casino company. To skirt limits on corporate contributions and hide the source of the funds, the money was funneled through a Maryland political consultant using fake contracts for services that were never provided, prosecutors said. The consultant then used the casino cash to reimburse individual donors to Waltz’s congressional campaign.

Waltz told IndyStar he had nothing to be ashamed of. When asked if he was cooperating with the government, he simply smiled and held up his middle finger.

“I'm an Eagle Scout,” Waltz said. “I have spent many months of my life living in the woods, eating crawdads and dandelions. The jail food will probably be worse. But if Martha Stewart can do it, so can I.”

He and Keeler are among three former lawmakers who have been convicted amid a long-running investigation into ties between Statehouse figures and Ratcliff’s casino companies. Former Rep. Sean Eberhart was sentenced last month to a year in prison for influencing legislation favorable to Ratcliff’s company in exchange for a promised job worth at least $350,000 a year. Ratcliff has not been charged with any crime.

In addition to working on his book, Waltz is also challenging his sentence in federal court, claiming he received poor legal representation. So far, the judge has not taken any action in response to Waltz’s filings.

Contact IndyStar reporter Tony Cook at 317-444-6081 or tony.cook@indystar.com . Follow him on X: @IndyStarTony .

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Disgraced former senator writing new book, claims he was collateral damage in attack on Trump