Just how big a Democratic donor was Hassan Nemazee?
He and his wife (mostly he) gave the Democratic House and Senate campaign committees $191,700 over the past three election cycles, 2006, 2008, and 2010.
But the Nemazees’ personal generosity — allegedly with other people’s money — hardly tells the whole story. In 2006, a landmark year for Dem fundraising, Nemazee served as national finance chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee under Chuck Schumer. That’s the cycle when the Dems won six seats and took control of the Senate.
Nemazee also appears with jet-setters David Geffen, Alan Solow, and Jeffrey Katzenberg on a list of the top bundlers for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, clocking in at the maximum “$500,000 or more” range.
As for his personal giving, take a look at this Open Secrets page for Nemazee. Favorite recipients include the Iranian American PAC, Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV), Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY), and sundry other prominent Democrats.
Since the scandal broke, politicians including New York Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer have announced they will give Nemazee’s donations to charity. President Obama, the DNC, and the Presidential Inaugural Committee also said they would donate Nemazee’s donations to charity.