Norman Hsu, Peter Paul, William Lerach.. all big criminal donors to Democratic candidates. In the case of Lerach's cash at least, the DNC has decided not to return his contributions:
A spokesman for the Democratic National Committee said more than $1 million in donations from attorneys who pleaded guilty or have been indicted on federal charges for an alleged $11.8 million kickback scheme will not be returned.The donations, according to Federal Election Commission and state campaign finance databases, come from William S. Lerach, totaling $600,000 between 1998 and 2002, and from Melvyn Weiss, for a total of $25,000 in 1997.
Lerach pleaded guilty in mid-September to one felony count of conspiracy stemming from a seven-year federal investigation into the kickback scheme that began in 1981 and netted the New York law firm Milberg Weiss more than $200 million from verdicts and settlements in an estimated 150 cases.
The sad thing is, the DNC would probably love to rid themselves of this dirty money -- it's just that it's against the darn rules!
A standing policy of the DNC prevents money accepted and vetted under previous chairs to be returned, said press secretary Stacie Paxton. Dean has held his title since early 2005.
However, a recently discovered $5,000 contribution from Weiss to the DNC could be returned, depending on what verdict is reached in the attorney’s case, Paxton said.
Officials with the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee declined to comment on contributions their committees received from the firm and its partners.
What would Dean, Schumer, and the rest of the Democrats say if the RNC tried to use such a lame excuse for keeping ill-gotten money?
Just another lesson in how the Democrats have 'drained the swamp' in DC.
9 comments:
"Standing policy" is all that's holding them back? I have a bold and innovative solution: change the policy.
If the Dems quit taking money from crooked trial lawyers, they'd be bankrupt tomorrow.
One more reason we need serious tort reform.
I thought the Dems were the party of change. How about changing the "standing policy?"
They drained the swamp, released the crocodiles to swallow whomever on their track.
Ask Elliot Spitzer and Andrew Cuomo if they've given Hsu's dirty money back yet....
When Peter Paul spent over $1.6 mil on Hillary's 2000 campaign, his criminal record had to do with his participation in the Cuban Coffee Caper, in which Castro was ripped off for 8.7 mil, and a small CIA operation, in which he crossed the Canadian border with a false ID. Calling him a big criminal donor is an unfair characterization.
...Doug from Upland
It's all about loopholes. The Dems just love them.
Are they tricky or somewhat doubtful? Aw, that's okay.
Blatant disregard for integrity as long as it brings in the bucks -- that's what the Dems are all about. It never was their swamp they talked about draining, it was the other guy's...
TRAILER: HILLARY UNCENSORED
the greatest campaign finance scandal in American history
Post a Comment