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
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