Clinton downplays impact of campaign bundler indictment
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton rejected the suggestion that today’s federal indictment of businessman Norman Hsu who raised $850,000 for her presidential campaign might have a negative impact on her candidacy.
“None of us caught the problems that were there,’’ Clinton told CNN. “This happened to a lot of campaigns, a lot of investors who made investments that, unfortunately, don’t look like they were treated appropriately. The system of justice will work its course and I think that’s appropriate.’’
Today’s indictment announced by Manhattan-based U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia charges the 56-year-old Hsu in a Ponzi scheme that defrauded investors across the country of over $60 million.
” In an effort to raise his public profile and thereby convince more victims to invest in his fraudulent scheme, Hsu pressured investors to contribute tens of thousands of dollars to various candidates for president of the United States, the United States Senate, and the United States House of Representatives,’’ states the press release issued by Garcia.
“Hsu made victims believe that failure to make political contributions to candidates he supported would jeopardize their investment relationship with him, and put their money at risk. Hsu also violated the Federal Election Campaign Act by making contributions to various political campaigns in the names of others. Specifically, in 2006, Hsu asked two other individuals to make contributions, totaling more than $20,000 each, to designated federal candidates. Hsu then reimbursed these two individuals for the political contributions they had made on his behalf.’’
The indictment charges Hsu with mail fraud, wire fraud and violating the Federal Election Campaign Act.
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Spin, Hillary, spin. Your campaign was alerted to Hsu in June and you did nothing.
This brings back all the bad doings from her husband’s administration. It will stick.
Somehow a couple of thousand dollar donation and a man racing to bundle one million dollars seem like very different levels of scrutiny. Perhaps Clinton’s staff was so busy living the good life on Hsu’s dime that they did not have time to do a background check. Or perhaps they just do not care who gives them $$$$$ as long as they give.
How about bush’s terror campaign in Iraq where hundreds of thousands who would otherwise be living, have died because of his hard on for Saddam?
Why don’t we ask those questions right along with this one?
Because Rob, that would be a red herring.
Hmmm, does the name “Jack Abramoff” ring a bell? How about “Ken Lay?”
Some people around here only have selective recall…