[Libloather]

In return for campaign contributions, the complaint says Yee offered assistance with state contracts, legislative help in crafting California’s medical marijuana market, and even access to Yee’s “source of supply” for illegal weapons.

From a little debt to importing shoulder fired missiles. Impressive.

[Attention Surplus Disorder]

Weeelllll, then it’s all cool, right?

[onedoug]

‘Alas, poor Yee. I didn’t know him, Horatio.’

[savedbygrace]

So it’s not his fault? It’s the fault of his debt?

Good to know.

[OneVike]

That’s crap. This is just another way they can use to claim we need campaign funding reform.

He did it because he is sympathetic to the terrorist who he was hoping to sell the weapons to.

[Steely Tom]

If only he didn’t have to find money to fund his re-election campaign, Senator Lee wouldn’t have to engage in arms trafficking.

[cookcounty]

It’s the Nefarious Koch brothers fault for creating an atmosphere in which Democrats like Yee might be criticized in commercials on broadcast TV.

Yee needed the money, he had to get it from somewhere.

[KoRn]

I’d saw Yee was the “Root of the criminal behavior”.

They had to dig pretty damn deep to find a way to spin the story like this. Guess it’s a good thing he didn’t have any sick or dying relatives, ect.

[SevenofNine]

yeah they have dude named Little rat or something among Chinatown mafia LOL!

[Principled]

Yee was at the root of Yee's criminal behavior.

/head exploding

[Izzy Dunne]

You do realize, I hope, that all this never happened.

If it had happened, then CNN would have covered it.

[WhistlingPastTheGraveyard]

I think the fact that he’s a total scumbag is closer to the root than his debt.

[martin_fierro]

CNN: Leland Lee story? WHAT Leland Yee story?

[cloudmountain]

Will they impound his Rolls now??

[MasterGunner01]

Well, OK, the good Senator Yee needed money to payoff his debts so he got into gun running and money laundering. It's perfectly understandable. We shouldn't criticize him because Yee NEEDED the money. Bravo Sierra.

[Sarah Barracuda]

Isnt it adorable how libs always find ways to excuse their behavior

[driftdiver]

I thought the lefties liked debt. It builds the economy.

[Steven Tyler]

I guess Yee regrets, many months ago, not declaring bankruptcy.

[Captainpaintball]

He also hates America, and wants to destroy it from within. This is excuse making from the left.

[Yo-Yo]

Leland Yee’s campaign debt at root of criminal behavior, authorities allege,

So then what we need is public funding of campaigns. Those poor public servants shouldn't have to go around begging for money, they should spend all of their time working tirelessly for the people. If only Yee hadn't had to worry about campaign debt, he never would have been drawn into such questionable behavior.

[iacovatx]

Oh, it was because of his campaign debt. So I guess that excuses it, then. Here I was, thinking it was misbehavior by a politician who was known for advocating policies quite the opposite of his actual behavior.

By the way, my mortgage debt exceeds Yee’s campaign debt and is more personal to me than a campaign obligation. Perhaps I should consider some innovative approaches to retiring that debt.