Carnahan returned gift received from Enron last year - Gephardt gives ENRON $$ to charity

St. Louis Post-Dispatch ^ | 01/11/2002 10:07 PM | KAREN BRANCH-BRIOSO

[rface]

WASHINGTON - Sen. Jean Carnahan, D-Mo., returned a $1,000 campaign contribution from the political action committee of the now-bankrupt Enron Corp. on June 27 - more than a month after she received it.

"The Carnahan (campaign) committee never deposited the check - it was turned around and sent to them a few weeks later," Carnahan spokesman Tony Wyche said Friday. "After looking at some of the ways at how Enron did business and whatnot, we didn't think it was appropriate to keep the check."

[rface]

Carnahan has a tough Senate battle this year....I don't know why Gephardt gave away his campaign $$..

Is this a bad precedent for Gephardt and Carnahan to set for the 'RATS?Ashland, Missouri

[Woodman]

Maybe GetAHart could have just returned the money to Enron so that it could be distributed among its' rightfull owners (creditors and share-holders). No, that would be the right thing to do.

[3catsanadog]

House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt, D-Mo., made a similar decision Friday, notifying the Post-Dispatch that he had directed campaign aides to donate to charity a $1,000 contribution from Enron to Gephardt's Democratic Leadership Fund. Enron contributed the money more than two years ago - in 1999 - Gephardt spokeswoman Kori Bernards said.

"We gave it to charity today - to St. Louis Children's Hospital," Bernards said Friday. "We just felt like we wanted to give it to charity because there are so many problems surrounding Enron now

Good grief, Gebhardt, could covering your a$$ be more obvious?

[Miss Marple]

Carnahan returned the money on June 27, after "looking at how the company did business and whatnot." Now on June 27 was ANY of this information available to the casual or even fairly interested observer? Why would Carnahan know about "how they did business and whatnot?"

Either she DID know, and therefore should be questioned as to why she kept quiet, or she didn't know, but probably returned the check because it wasn't big enough.

[TomGuy]

House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt, D-Mo., made a similar decision Friday, notifying the Post-Dispatch that he had directed campaign aides to donate to charity a $1,000 contribution from Enron to Gephardt's Democratic Leadership Fund

Isn't that like closing the barn door after the horse has gotten out? At least Carnahan gave her donation back before Enron imploded. Next, we'll hear that Daschle is returning his donation too. And they will all be busy polishing their halos this weekend.

[rface]

(returned the check).....with a brief note: "Pursuant to our conversation on Wednesday, June 27, 2001, enclosed is the $1,000 check from the Enron political action committee ..."

Wonder what this is all about.

[johnandrhonda]

Gephardt giving the money away after 2 years? That's hilarious. It's like trying to buy your virginity back. If this is all it takes to make yourself innocent again, then all the republicians can give money back to Enron and thereby regain their virginity, just like Gephardt.

[RippleFire]

"We gave it to charity today - to St. Louis Children's Hospital," Bernards said Friday

I love these "we sent it back"/"we gave it to charity" statements, since they all have no accountability. I wonder if Fat First Brother-in-law Hugh Rodham ever really returned the money he got for getting last minute Clinton pardons. The last reports were he was stalling on even claiming he had repaid the whole amount.

[fred flinch]

Check dated May in 2001,as far as I am concerned are checks excepted. you don't wait until 8 mos afterword to give it away. They don't want to look bad so they give it back or to charity

[fred flinch]

Check dated May in 2001,as far as I am concerned are checks excepted. you don't wait until 8 mos afterword to give it away. They don't want to look bad so they give it back or to charity

[the]

Gephardt's move is a farce.

Money being fungible, it can not be said that he is giving the $1,000 that Enron gave him to charity.

There are two distinct events here. 1) Enron gives him money, he accepts there money & 2) He decides to donate $1,000 to a charity.

At least Carnahan can honestly say that she did not accept money from Enron.