Bustamante sued over campaign funds : State watchdog says he took $3.8 million from only 16 donors

SF Chronicle ^ | 1/8/04 | Mark Simon

[ZGuy]

The state's top political oversight agency Wednesday sued Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, alleging that during last year's recall campaign the Democrat illegally used a re-election committee to skirt the state's fund-raising limits.

During the recall campaign, Bustamante used his 2002 re-election committee to collect millions of dollars in individual contributions -- each one far in excess of the $21,200 per donation allowed under the state's political finance restrictions.

[2banana]

He is a democrat, he is allowed to do this...

[Support Free Republic]

Here we go again folks... why not donate now and help get this fundraiser over with!

[Enterprise]

Well, I hope this terminates Porky's career. What a slug.

[PhiKapMom]

During the Recall some people found his donations were huge and illegal, but I never thought anything would happen to him.

This is great!

[raptor29]

Don't you wish they would really follow through on this? Never seems to happen. This stuff appears in the news, big build-up and focus, and then it sort of drifts away as people are bought off or blackmailed. Unfortunately, I fully expect that El Lardo will get away with this unscathed, just like Hillary with the FBI files.

[Grampa Dave]

I want to see who the big illegal donors were!

Did they come from some phoney non profit which served as a money laundering machine?

Did it come from individuals whose corporations depended on a Rat staying in power?

Did it come from a group like the La Raza thugs or some radical group of gay thugs?

[Jaxter]

What's the big deal? It's not like he groped a woman 25 years ago. /sarc

[Grampa Dave]

If my early morning math is correct, the average big illegal donation for these criminals was $237,500.

If that is correct, the bs of Lardo being the candidate of the little and poor people of California has been shredded.

[tubebender]

Let's hope this pushes Humpty Dumpty off the Capitol Dome...

[chimera]

This stuff appears in the news, big build-up and focus, and then it sort of drifts away as people are bought off or blackmailed. Unfortunately, I fully expect that El Lardo will get away with this unscathed, just like Hillary with the FBI files.

You're right. Either nothing will come of it, or some low-level slug will take the fall, or some poor schmuck out in the middle of nowhere on some Indian reservation will pay a $50 fine or something. If things get too hot, La Raza can send out some gang hit squad to intimidate any witnesses or prosecutors ("Los Lobos kick your a$$! Los Lobos kick your face! Los Lobos kick your --lls into outer space!")

[onyx]

What? No names of the donors? No public record? HELP!

[South40]

How many Indian tribes can you name?

[BlueNgold]

hmmm ... might he be forced to resign? Another special election? Anyone thnk Tommy McC wants to be Lt Gov? ROTFL

[Liz]

I want to see who the big illegal donors were! Did they come from some (1) phoney non-profit (2) which served as a money laundering machine? (3) from individuals whose corporations depended on a Rat staying in power?

Excellent "educated guesses." All of these crooked schemes no doubt were used.

The non-profits scammers need to be nailed but good.

The question I want answered is who was laundering money?

[onyx]

Yeah, but I want names of the Indian donors, not just their tribe's name. We already know Sycuan and Viejas gave Cruz bribe money. I'm not sure about Barona.

[South40]

Along with the millions from Viejas...Sycuan gave $300,000, and the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Mission Indians gave the crooked bastard $500,000. Not sure where the rest came from but I'm pretty sure Barona is clean.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

I want to see who gave Bustamental his big money.

I speculate it was the Indian Gambling interests!

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

My speculation is obviously a bit late !

But I just got here!

[Grampa Dave]

I'm sure the poor Indians loaded up old Busta Our Wallets.

They are basically untouchable. However, any others on that list could be in trouble.