Posted on 04/12/2005 8:36:20 AM PDT by nikola
April 12, 2005 -- WASHINGTON — The FBI, as part of an ongoing criminal investigation into the Rev. Al Sharpton, secretly videotaped him pocketing campaign donations from two shady fund-raisers in a New York City hotel room and then asking for more, it was reported yesterday. One of the donors was later recorded on a wiretap saying Sharpton may not have reported to the Federal Election Commission tens of thousands of dollars in campaign cash, as is required by the law, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. The FBI launched the probe into Sharpton's fund-raising for his failed 2004 presidential run after his name surfaced on wiretaps in an unrelated Philadelphia City Hall corruption case, the Inquirer said. The Post confirmed the FBI investigation of Sharpton. The two dubious donors whom Sharpton met with in the hotel on May 9, 2003 — Democratic fund-raisers La-Van Hawkins and the late Ronald White — suggested that nearly $90,000 was missing from the official campaign report Sharpton filed with the FEC. Hawkins is currently on trial in Philadelphia on corruption charges unrelated to the Sharpton case; White also was going to be indicted, but he died before charges could be brought. An FBI wiretap picked up Hawkins telling White he believed they had raised more than $140,000 for Sharpton in the previous quarter — but Hawkins fretted because Sharpton had reported only about $50,000 on his federal election filing. "He's a train wreck — a plane crash waiting to happen," Hawkins told White about Sharpton, according to the paper. FEC records show Sharpton reported raising about $54,000 during the period, the second quarter of 2003. Sharpton has denied any wrongdoing. In the hotel room, the FBI had videotape secretly rolling as White forked over a wad of campaign checks to Sharpton.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Any other politician would immediately be tried and jailed.
LOL I read in ABC's THE NOTE that Sharpton will be protesting outside the NY Post's office today because of this article!
I'm shocked, I tell you! Shocked!
Hmmmmm, Well Ah'm abou' ta puhform a Nicklectomy on the Boy!
it's conspiracy, you know....
Hahahahahah
It's a beautiful thing to see the crook go down.
Sandy Berger defense will work here: "Yes, in my pocket! Oh, like you haven't?"
It just infuriates me this man hides behind the title of "Reverend".
I don't think so.
I think any other politician would get news coverage (like is happening) once the information of such an investigation is learned.
I've heard this reported on all three cable channels today. The existance of the probe and videotape indicates at least a good possibility that an indictment will be next.
Good, the feds know where to find him then.
Yeah, Al, they'd be doing the perp walk for all the world to see.
"I not only deny the allegation, I deny the alligator." - Rev Al
The investigation was about high-level corruption in Philadelphia politics involving Mayor John Street and the rest of his gang of criminals. We in the Philadelphia area have been reading excerpts from wiretaps for two years, and there's been no indictment of Street.
It's Tom DeLay's fault.
Why am I not surprised?!
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