Not only is Hillary Clinton's campaign finally getting around to returning the $850,000 or so in contributions "bundled" by her former fugitive fundraiser, Norman Hsu, but donors will be given much closer scrutiny from now on, posts John Solomon at WaPo's campaign blog The Trail:
Clinton's campaign, one of several Democratic committees that Hsu raised money for or donated to, also has decided to increase its screening of major fund-raisers, requiring them to submit to the extraordinary additional step of a criminal background check, campaign aides said.* * * * *
"To help ensure against this type of situation in the future, our campaign will also institute vigorous additional vetting procedures on our bundlers, including criminal background checks," Wolfson added. "In any instances where a source of a bundler's income is in question, the campaign will take affirmative steps to verify its origin."
Read the rest at the link above. Given the known history of the Clintons accepting money from questionable sources, one might have thought they would already be carefully ensuring they knew their donors actually had enough money to contribute.
One might have thought that - if one had been in a state of suspended animation for the last fifteen years or so.
This action will put pressure on Obama and others tainted by Hsu's "bundles" to make similar refunds, and institute similar checks. Ironically, Hillary may be able to grab the high ground in the Democratic primaries on this issue. It may nag her in the general election campaign, though, due to the eery echoes of the 1996 scandals.
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Filed under:
2008 Presidential Race, Campaign Contributions, Democrats, Hillary, Primaries, Scandal
Tags: campaign contributions, Democrat, Hillary Clinton, presidential campaign
Comments (3)
Hsu, hsu, hsuboogieH... (Below threshold)1. Posted by kim | September 11, 2007 10:00 AM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Hsu, hsu, hsuboogie
Here's one that's a loogie.
Say, Bill, what's up?
Shall we cough it up?
==========================
1. Posted by kim | September 11, 2007 10:00 AM |
Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on September 11, 2007 10:00
2. Posted by HughS | September 11, 2007 10:07 AM | Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
"but donors will be given much closer scrutiny from now on"...that should be easy since they have the FBI files tucked away somewhere.
2. Posted by HughS | September 11, 2007 10:07 AM |
Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
Posted on September 11, 2007 10:07
3. Posted by John in CA | September 11, 2007 3:11 PM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
So, if Bill donates some money to Hillary's campaign, will he get a criminal background check?
That effort could stall the entire campaign. Too many resources diverted chasing down leads.
3. Posted by John in CA | September 11, 2007 3:11 PM |
Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on September 11, 2007 15:11