Friday, September 28, 2007

Politico: Kerrey's Possible Senate Run Complicated by Hsu

You read it here weeks ago, the Politico expands on it today:

If former Nebraska Sen. Bob Kerrey decides to run for the Senate, it’s clear that he will have to address his connections with Hsu, whom he recruited to serve on the board of the New School under his presidency.

The Hsu affair already is being used by Republicans as leverage to try to ward off a run by Kerrey, the Democrats’ favored candidate to compete for the seat of retiring Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel.

Republicans privately acknowledge that Kerrey is a first-tier candidate and hope their attacks dissuade him from jumping in. They would have an easier time retaining the seat if Kerrey didn’t run.

“Bob Kerrey was not only a receiver of contributions [to the New School], he actively recruited [Hsu] to the New School,” said National Republican Senatorial Committee spokeswoman Rebecca Fisher. “Nebraskans need to be aware of that.”

Politico fails to note the specifics on the public record about Hsu's donations to the New School. As I pointed out, he donated at least in the tens of thousands of dollars. Specifically, the New School's 2005-2006 annual report lists the following Hsu donations:

  • To the University: $10,000-$24,999 donation
  • To the Eugene Lang College: $10,000-$24,999 donation
  • To Parsons the New School for Design: $5,000-$9,999 donation
  • To the Eugene Lang College 'Restricted Grants': $10,000-$24,999 donation

With regard to the three listings of donations in the $10,000-$24,999 category, I can see no way to determine whether this constitutes three donations, or one (or two, for that matter). Since the report includes all these listings however, I'm reproducing them here.

Still no word on whether the New School will return these donations from Hsu, as the University of Arkansas has done.

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