Stephen Schwartz
Norman Hsu with Hillary Rodham Clinton in 2005.
Posted on 08/29/2007 10:42:15 PM PDT by neverdem
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s campaign said yesterday that it would give to charity $23,000 it had received from a prominent Democratic donor, and review thousands of dollars more that he had raised, after learning that the authorities in California had a warrant for his arrest stemming from a 1991 fraud case.
The donor, Norman Hsu, has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Democratic candidates since 2003, and was slated to be co-host next month for a Clinton gala featuring the entertainer Quincy Jones.
The event would not have been unusual for Mr. Hsu, a businessman from Hong Kong who moves in circles of power and influence, serving on the board of a university in New York and helping to bankroll Democratic campaigns.
But what was not widely known was that Mr. Hsu, who is in the apparel business in New York, has been considered a fugitive since he failed to show up in a San Mateo County courtroom about 15 years ago to be sentenced for his role in a scheme to defraud investors, according to the California attorney general’s office.
Mr. Hsu had pleaded no contest to one count of grand theft and was facing up to three years in prison.
The travails of Mr. Hsu have proved an embarrassment for the Clinton campaign, which has strived to project an image of rectitude in its fund-raising and to dispel any lingering shadows of past episodes...
--snip--
Some Clinton donors said yesterday that they did not expect the Hsu matter to hurt Mrs. Clinton unless a pattern of problematic fund-raising or compromised donors emerged, which would raise questions about the campaign’s vetting of donors. Mr. Hsu’s legal problems were first reported yesterday by The Los Angeles Times; The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday about his bundling of questionable contributions.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
And the thick plottens...
“Some Clinton donors said yesterday that they did not expect the Hsu matter to hurt Mrs. Clinton unless a pattern of problematic fund-raising or compromised donors emerged”
Second time this month my monitor gagged.
Hillary should resign from the Senate. Cue flying pigs.
What’s with the “learned” and “emerged” action, NYT? Been hiding under a rock?
Hilly: “I have no recollection of ever meeting Mr. Hsu...”
Nothing to see here folks. Move along now, go on, MOVE!~DAMMIT @*$& MOVE-ON-NOW
Cotton Pickin STUPID INTERNET USERS!
I'LL TAX ALL OF YOU BASTAGES INTO OBLIVIAN!
Dare me..!..
This guy could be a Communist Chinese spy, and Clinton could care less...They'll take money anyone if they can get away with it.
Duh. She would have no campaign money at all if she had to return all of her fraudulent and illegal donations.
The guy’s a convicted felon and fugitive from justice with an arrest warrant outstanding, and the Times can only bring itself to say he’s “under a cloud.”
Another NYTimes classic.
Bill did the same thing in ‘96. Over 100 of his donors fled the country to avoid questioning and possible prosecution.
But, hey, they’re the Clintons. “Can’t touch me, can’t touch me.”
Unfortunately, this “scandal” will never get to second base.
Drag $23,000 through a trailer park and you never know what you might get.
The Left Loses the Vietnam War (Great analysis)
From time to time, I’ll ping on noteworthy articles about politics, foreign and military affairs. FReepmail me if you want on or off my list.
Change the players (to Republican) and the story changes!!!
Hill and Bill must have the record for having their picture taken with crooks and grifters.
The news about this story is that it’s on the front page of the NY Times.
I know, I just got a copy. They mention in the story he sits on the board of trustees at The New School in New York City. What they don’t mention is that Bernie Schwartz from Loral (Remember him?) is a Vice Chair of the same group. We may have stumbled upon a connection between the Chinese money and the missile technology Bernie gave away to China. Keep your fingers crossed.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118839894990612189.html?mod=hps_us_pageone
PAGE ONE
Democrats Race
To Return Cash
From Big Donor
By BRODY MULLINS and IANTHE JEANNE DUGAN
August 30, 2007; Page A1
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and other prominent Democrats scrambled to unload thousands of dollars of contributions from one of the party’s leading fund-raisers, amid questions about his fund-raising techniques and news that a warrant for his arrest has been languishing in California since the early 1990s.
The swift political rise — and fall — of Norman Hsu, an obscure New York businessman who never donated to a presidential candidate before 2004, underscores the tremendous pressure candidates are facing this election cycle to raise unprecedented sums of money, and in the process turning to financiers the campaigns may know little about.
Questions surrounding Mr. Hsu’s marshalling of funds on behalf of Mrs. Clinton and other candidates were first highlighted by The Wall Street Journal earlier this week. The Journal noted unusual patterns between Mr. Hsu’s political donations and those of people he knew, in particular the residents of a tiny house in Daly City, Calif., who often gave large contributions on the exact same day and for the exact same amount Mr. Hsu did.
Election-law experts said the pattern raises red flags that justify a probe into whether the wealthy Mr. Hsu was improperly reimbursing the others for their donations. Mr. Hsu denied any reimbursement or any wrongdoing.
Beyond his $23,000 in personal contributions to Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Hsu had raised well over $1 million for the New York senator’s presidential campaign, making him one of her top 20 “bundlers.” His reach extended well beyond the presidential race, as he has also raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for House and Senate Democrats and governors across the country.
Earlier this week, Clinton campaign spokesman Howard Wolfson responded to questions about Mr. Hsu by saying “there has been no question about his integrity or his commitment to playing by the rules, and we have absolutely no reason to call his contributions into question.”
snip
What about the Government Matching Funds that all these “contributions” generated? Try this timeline;
1. Contribution (illigal?)
2. Matching funds
3. Investigation and subsequent return of (illegal?) contribution
4. Returned contributions bundled with ‘new’ contributions
5. Matching funds
Repeat steps 3-4-5 as often as possible.
And from the Republicans...................crickets...........
I wonder why.
The CA attorney general’s office couldn’t manage to find this fugitive when he was throwing political galas for Democrats? This whole thing smells of Chicom Clintoon redux. We can only hope the Dems are stupid enough to nominate this crook.
Until then, don't hold your breath.
Fugitive donor bows out of fundraising
Norman Hsu says he’ll stop until his arrest warrant is resolved. Democratic recipients of his donations distance themselves.
By Chuck Neubauer and Dan Morain
Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
August 30, 2007
WASHINGTON — Democratic donor Norman Hsu said Wednesday that he would “refrain from all fundraising activities” until he resolved an outstanding warrant for his arrest stemming from a 1991 criminal case in San Mateo County.
Hsu, a major fundraiser over the last three years for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and other Democrats, issued the statement through his attorney after the Los Angeles Times reported that he had been a fugitive for 15 years.
Prosecutors in California said Hsu disappeared in 1992 after pleading no contest and agreeing to serve up to three years in prison for defrauding investors in a Ponzi scheme.
Meanwhile, Clinton’s campaign said Wednesday that it would donate to charity $23,000 in direct donations from Hsu, a New York apparel executive. And other recipients of his donations distanced themselves from the businessman.
Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer of California and Edward M. Kennedy and John F. Kerry of Massachusetts; Reps. Michael M. Honda of San Jose, Doris Matsui of Sacramento and Joe Sestak of Pennsylvania; and Al Franken, a Senate candidate in Minnesota, said they would divest their campaigns of Hsu’s donations.
Clinton campaign aides had said earlier that the candidate had no plans to return money donated by Hsu, but the campaign reversed itself after The Times’ disclosure.
“In light of the new information regarding Mr. Hsu’s outstanding warrant in California, we will be giving his contributions to charity,” Clinton spokesman Phil Singer said.
The campaign has not determined whether to return money Hsu raised, but Singer said it regularly reviews donations. “Should we have the basis to return one, we shall do so,” Singer said.
Hsu has donated or raised more than $1 million for Democrats and their causes. He served as a “bundler,” rounding up a group of donors and then packaging their checks together. He is a member of Clinton’s “HillRaiser” group, individuals who pledged to raise more than $100,000 for her presidential campaign.
In a statement issued through attorney E. Lawrence Barcella Jr., Hsu said that he “was surprised to learn that there appears to be an outstanding warrant — as demonstrated by the fact that I have and do live a public life. I have not sought to evade any of my obligations and certainly not the law.
snip
LOL
Could it be that many 'Pubbies are also taking money from crooks?
DING, DING, DING, DING! We have a winner!
Big Source of Clinton's Cash Is an Unlikely Address (Caught!)
A politician’s response to the scent of dead presidents is Pavlovian.
Does that mean politico's drool when they hear a cash register?
Another “bimbo eruption” ?
Notice that all the attention is now focused on Hsu while ignoring the questions surrounding the big bucks contributed by the Paws in San Francisco.
As another Freeper noted.....They received MATCHING FUNDS from US on this money!!! Are they going to give US the money back?????? WHERE IS THE JUSTICE DEPT!!! WHERE IS MCCAIN ON THIS???????? Waiting johnny......crickets.
No mention of this on the morning Soccer Mom shows. Larry Craig and the GOP troubles and nothing else.
Didn’t Island Jeff look into the companies that Hsu funnelled thiese monies from and they were all shams?
She got MATCHING FUNDS on this money!! If he gave her $40,000 she got ANOTHER $40,000 from US!!!
I’ll bet this money is coming from the CHINESE to HSU and he’s funnelling it thru the PAWS and OTHERS!!
They got MATCHING FUNDS on this DIRTY MONEY from US!!!!
Please keep repeating about the MATCHING FUNDS! Thanks!
Former Senator Robert J. Kerrey (D-Nebraska) is President of the school isn't he?
And Bob Kerrey is President of The New School.
Thanks for the ping!
Yup
How could someone be a wanted fugitive for 15 years and at the same time donate and attend fundraisers openly for liberals?
MATCHING FUNDS?
Makes you sick, doesn’t it? We probably pay that matching fund. Also, what does she do with remaining campaign money? Can she just pocket it; especially if she doesn’t win?
Does this article say that Clinton (and the scores of other recipients) is giving back donations from the household where Hsu formerly lived? Very modest house and yet this family has given $200K+ to various Dems — this is must like the Al Gore’s fund raising at that temple in 2000.
Let’s face it: the Dems consider the campaign finance laws just minor obstacles that can and often are just trampled upon.
Yeah. I think candidates have to qualify for it; but it’s like a company savings plan where the company will match your contributions. I think we pay this. Can you imagine paying money to a candidate you absolutely detest?
So what? None of this will be scrutinized. She’s a dem it will be a big ZERO! Nothing! We’ll be on the Craig story for weeks I would bet. Double standards you know.
BUMP
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