Posted on 05/26/2016 9:35:52 AM PDT by randita
McAuliffe: 'I have never lobbied for a foreign government'
BY GRAHAM MOOMAW Richmond Times-Dispatch | Posted: Thursday, May 26, 2016 11:00 am
Gov. Terry McAuliffe said Thursday that he has never lobbied in the U.S. on behalf of a foreign government, adding that federal investigators looking into his foreign connections are focused on a "very specific" lobbyist registration issue.
"I have never lobbied for a foreign government here. Ever," McAuliffe said during a morning radio appearance on Richmond's WRVA.
The Democratic governor's remarks come a day after his attorney said the Department of Justice is looking into a potential violation of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), a federal statute meant to limit foreign influence in U.S. policy. In the first report on the investigation Monday, CNN reported a focus on $120,000 in political contributions to McAuliffe linked to Chinese businessman Wang Wenliang.
"The media was wrong. Shocking," McAuliffe said when asked about the changing accounts of the investigation's target.
McAuliffe has said he was not contacted by investigators before media reports surfaced. Wang, through a spokesman, said he too had not been contacted. McAuliffe's attorney, James W. Cooper, said the DOJ told him it has no evidence of a violation.
Much about the investigation remains unclear. The DOJ generally does not comment on active investigations.
Asked why the investigation is continuing if there's no evidence of wrongdoing, McAuliffe said he did not know.
"Hopefully it'll be shut down pretty quickly," McAuliffe said.
FARA, which requires agents of foreign entities to register and disclose their activities, is not limited to lobbying on behalf of foreign governments. The law also applies to individuals and companies whose "principal place of business" is outside the U.S. It covers a broad range of political activity to further foreign interests, including publicity, consulting and the solicitation or disbursement of funds or other things of value "for or in the interest of" a foreign entity.
The restriction on foreign political contributions was originally a part of FARA, according to a Federal Election Commission brochure aimed at foreign nationals, but was later incorporated into federal election law. McAuliffe has said the contributions linked to Wang were valid because the businessman has held a green card since 2007, which makes him eligible to contribute.
The donations did not come from Wang personally, but were made by West Legend Corp., a New Jersey-based affiliate of Wang's business enterprise. According to the FEC, companies located in the U.S. cannot make political donations if the contribution is financed by a foreign owner or directed by individual foreign nationals.
McAuliffe also responded Thursday to a Time Magazine report that said he had invited Wang to a 2013 fundraiser at the home of Hillary Clinton, a longtime friend of McAuliffe's.
"The guy was invited to a fundraiser with many people at it," McAuliffe said. "People come to fundraisers."
McAuliffe, who has accused the DOJ and FBI of leaking information about the probe, said the investigation "has nothing to do with Virginia or Virginia politics" because it's focused on his time as a private citizen.
"This is a political world we're in. There's a big presidential campaign going on," he said. "I'm a big boy. I get it."
Clinton Foundation?
Technically true. He never lobbied for them. He just delivered what they paid him to deliver.
Of course it depends on the meaning of the words “lobby”, “foreign”, “government” and maybe “for”. Hillary has some definitions that prove he’s innocent of anything.
Gov. Terry McAuliffe said Thursday that he has never lobbied in the U.S. on behalf of a foreign government, adding that federal investigators looking into his foreign connections are focused on a "very specific" lobbyist registration issue."I have never lobbied for a foreign government here. Ever," McAuliffe said during a morning radio appearance on Richmond's WRVA.
Never believe anything until it’s been officially denied.
Good work recollecting Charlie Trie. The Clinton machine has been bought and owned by the Chinese for 25 years.
It may be a lame answer, but it creates a real quandary for me.
which liar do I believe? The Media? The FBI? The Just-us Dept? Terry McAuliffe?
Talk about a dilemma.
The same guy who is being looked at for giving $120,000 to McAwful Gov. campaign gave the Clinton Crime Foundation $500,000
“I have never lobbied for a foreign government here. Ever,”
Meaning at the EXACT GPS coordinates from where he issued the statement.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1996_United_States_campaign_finance_controversy
While questions regarding the U.S. Democratic Party's fund-raising activities first arose over a Los Angeles Times article published on September 21, 1996,[1] China's alleged role in the affair first gained public attention when Bob Woodward and Brian Duffy of The Washington Post published a story stating that a United States Department of Justice investigation into the fund-raising activities had uncovered evidence that agents of China sought to direct contributions from foreign sources to the Democratic National Committee (DNC) before the 1996 presidential campaign.
Oh I'm sorry that was Bob Woodward. I'm sure Bernstein isn't familiar with Woodward's work?
I agree. Clinton type parsing.
Maybe he is a secret Chinese citizen.
Then, in Clintonspeak, he is telling the truth.
Yes you have, McAnus!!
If the Clintonista machine finds out Obama is behind all of these investigations -OR- the Clintonistas don’t get the results they want, there’s going to be one heck of a fight this summer. I think we’ll learn all there is to learn about pre-2008 Obama as Hillary scorches the Democrat’s Earth.
Seeing these comments from McAuliffe make me want to puke. Only with the help of the almighty Clintons and their scummy ilk would scum like McAwful amount to anything.
I don’t live in Virginia ... I would have liked to have seen *how* he campaigned in 2013. I’d wager that nobody on FR would have recognized him ... if he were his typical, snotty self during that campaign, he would have lost regardless of Northern VA’s demographics. He had to have put on a great show for the state.
“I think we’ll learn all there is to learn about pre-2008 Obama as Hillary scorches the Democrat’s Earth.”
Come to think of it, she might have to do this anyway as she might have to run against Obama to stand a chance against Trump ...
WHere was “HERE” when he said he never did it “HERE”???
The FIRST comment at that sight was reminding people that Clinton closed down Utahs Low-Sulphur COAL MINES, and the only other LSCM is in INDONESIA, OWNED BY THE CHINESE!!!! I know old Freepers will remember that now!!
No....parse it again....he said “HERE”, wherever “HERE” was when he was talking!!!
Bingo. Applying the FalseSpeak codebook is like putting on the dark glasses in “They Live”. Pathological egos must drive these scoundrels to put in tells, when they could more easily just lie straight up.
“I have never lobbied”…”
....all depends on what the definition of “is” is..
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