Dirty Money
I'm in the hi-fidelity first class traveling set
And I think I need a Lear jet
Money it's a crime
Share it fairly but don't take a slice of my pie
Money so they say
Is the root of all evil today
But if you ask for a rise it's no surprise that they're
giving none away
(Roger Waters, Money)
Rich posted earlier about the increasingly dirty little - or not so little - secret that has been unfolding about some dirty money that has been magically appearing in the campaign funds of Democrats. Money raised by a fugitive felon with an outstanding arrest warrant against him. A warrant that, when executed, carries a mandatory $2 million dollar bail with it. Well, the light shining on this little fiasco has caused a lot - a real lot - of Democrats to scramble like hell to give the dirty money away as fast as they can.
WASHINGTON - Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton will give to charity the $23,000 in donations she has received from a fundraiser who is wanted in California for failing to appear for sentencing on a 1991 grand theft charge.
The decision came Wednesday as other Democrats began distancing themselves from Norman Hsu, whose legal encounters and links to other Democratic donors have drawn public scrutiny in the past two days.
Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., also planned to turn over Hsu contributions to his 2004 presidential campaign to charity. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., Al Franken, a Senate candidate in Minnesota, Reps. Michael Honda and Doris Matsui of California and Rep. Joe Sestak of Pennsylvania said they would divest their campaigns of Hsu's donations as well.
Hsu is a fundraiser for Clinton and is described as a devoted fan of the presidential candidate and New York senator. He had planned to co-host a money event for Clinton on Sept. 30. In a statement Wednesday, Hsu said he believed he had resolved his legal issues, but said he would halt his work raising political money.
"I would not consciously subject any of the candidates and causes in which I believe to any harm through my actions," he said. "Therefore, until this matter is resolved, I intend to refrain from all fundraising activities on behalf of all candidates and causes."…….
………In 1991, Hsu pleaded no contest to a single felony count of grand theft but failed to appear in court for sentencing, according to Ronald Smetana, a California deputy attorney general who prosecuted the case.
Smetana said there is an outstanding warrant for Hsu's arrest. A clerk at the San Mateo County courthouse where Hsu was prosecuted said the warrant was issued in 1992 and orders were for $2 million bail for Hsu if he were arrested.
Smetana said Hsu collected about $1 million from investors by falsely claiming he had a contract to import latex gloves. Smetana said he planned to ask a judge to sentence Hsu to prison.
"We would obviously like Mr. Hsu to return and face justice," said Smetana, who said he had assumed Hsu, a Hong Kong native, had fled the country.
This should be making people wonder about the ultimate source of these funds that are enriching Democratic candidates. And I frankly do not care what your party affiliation is - you should be worried that there is a foreign connection to any campaign funds for any candidate for any office. Period. If you are not, you are a hopeless ideologue. Or an apologist. Or worse.
Political corruption - and the need to stomp on it - is not a partisan issue. It is a real threat to this nation. Senator Craig's behavior is reprehensible (and why hasn't he resigned - do so at once), but it is a sideshow compared to this level of sleaze and corruption. There is a lot of very dirty money in play - and voters should not have to compete with dirty money for attention from their elected representatives.
I'd like to see a movement to require all political groups to divulge the source of every, single cent of funding they get. I think every American voter needs to see who is paying for ads and advocacy, across the board.
UPDATE: Others: Baldilocks, Jammie Wearing Fool, Captain's Quarters, California Yankee, Wake up America, Gateway Pundit, A Blog For All, Hot Air, Don Surber, Riehl World View, Sister Toldjah, Stop The ACLU, The Influence Peddler, The Anchoress,
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Liberty Pundit — Thursday, 30 August , 2007 @ 5:03 am
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Liberty Pundit — Thursday, 30 August , 2007 @ 5:03 am
By Quilly Mammoth, Wednesday, 29 August , 2007 @ 9:27 pm
Over and over and over we see people of Asian descent making illegal campaign contributions to Hillary!. I would suppose that Republican’s have the same honor but see no reports.