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By Will Thomas - August 30, 2007, 9:33AM

Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) is going to donate $23,000 of her Presidential campaign funds to charity after it became public that the man who raised the cash is wanted in California. Norman Hsu is wanted for failing to appear in court for a 1991 charge of grand theft auto. But shirking the support of Hsu might be more costly than it first seems; Hsu has quietly become one of the largest campaign supporters in the country, and has claimed that he could bring in over $1 million to Hillary's campaign. (Associated Press, WSJ's Washington Wire)

Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID) is desperately trying to find his way out-- of his guilty plea for lewd conduct. Craig has suggested that he will try to withdraw his plea, which in someone's mind will make this whole story go away. Legal analysts aren't so sure; although Craig could withdraw his plea, he then might face more serious charges, and be subject to the release of more details about his restroom romp. (LA Times)

Last December, four Marine Corps infantryman were charged with rampaging into Haditha, killing 24 civilians after one of their friends was killed by a roadside bomb. Today, the charges on two of the men have been dismissed and dismissal has been recommended for another man. Legal issues have thwarted the prosecutors, who were unable to even prove that the killings violated the American military code of justice. (NY Times)

The administration will push forward with its plan to screen all non-profit partners of USAID, but the funding for the program has been cut drastically. The budget cut is a huge boon for contractors, who worried about the staggering amount of control the program originally had over their activities. (Washington Post)

America Coming Together, one of the country's largest liberal political action committee, has been fined over $750,000 for its actions in the 2004 Presidential race. The PAC raised $137 million during the cycle, but the FEC has found that much of that money was raised without regard for federal contribution limits. (Politico)

Gov. Bill Richardson (D-NM) is pushing hard for a $400 million commuter rail for his state. So are several executives of one of the firms that has been hired to help build the rail system. Those executives also decided to contribute to Richardson's presidential campaign, as well as loan their private planes, at a time when contract negotiations were still under way. (Associated Press)

Comments (16)

Nelly Bly wrote on August 30, 2007 10:56 AM:

On the Today show today, Tom DeLay had the frigging nerve to complain to Matt Lauer about media bias when it comes to reporting GOP scandals.

Bias? Lauer introduced DeLay without bothering to mention that DeLay has been charged with money laundering, according to a recent NY Times story, is still under investigation in the Abramoff case.

See link below for transcript.

On a slightly different note, one of Tom Delay's
charities, the DeLay Foundation For Kids, is several months late filing its 2005 990.

Is DeLay busy getting donors to re-direct $1.5 million in Foundation contributions to his legal defense fund?

DeLay's orphans are the big losers here. The DeLay Foundation For Kids did not donate any money to his Oaks at Rio Bend charity in 2006, according to the Rio Bend 990s.

Nelly Bly wrote on August 30, 2007 10:59 AM:

Link to Today Show - Tom DeLay transcript:

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/mark-finkelstein/2007/08/30/delay-schools-lauer-msm-bias-media-double-standard-amazing

Or click on my name.

Anonymous wrote on August 30, 2007 12:38 PM:

Re: "Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) is going to donate $23,000 of her Presidential campaign funds to charity"

I will say the same thing this time as I did when Bush donated his ill gotten money (remember, he didn't know Abramson, despite the photos and money) from the Indian Casino fiasco to some nonprofit organizations.

This seems to be the "New Morality" and "New Ethics" our national leaders are teaching us, and our children. I don't know if any of you were taught differently, but I was taught, by the time I was 10 or 11, that when you receive ill gotten anything, including money, you give it back to the party(s) where it originated. If it was illegal (as in the case of Bush) it belongs belongs in federal custody until the case(s) are resolved. What folks with any integrity and moral convictions DOT NOT DO, is donate the money to:
1. Buy votes from the organization(s) you are giving it to

2. Use it in exactly the same way you use the money given by folks who believe in you...$23,000 for advertising for your run for office...

3. I for one am sick and tired of these people standing up there and actually, openly, show "We the People" just how ill fitted they are to even be mentioned in the same paragraph as the word "Moral", while at the same time telling "WE the People" just how moral and good they are.

"Look at me, folks. See how good I am? I have discovered this money might be ill gotten... given to me to buy my support in the future or something. Right now, I am up here telling ALL of you that I will not tolerate this. I am therefore telling you here and now that I am taking this $23,000 and using it to buy votes... no... strike that... I am giving it back to show I do not want... no that's not right either... just a minute..."

"Psst, Bill, what were we taught to do in cases like this?"

Anonymous wrote on August 30, 2007 12:52 PM:

". Legal issues have thwarted the prosecutors, who were unable to even prove that the killings violated the American military code of just"

Sign of a dictatorship... the rules for those in charge are different than the rules for those not in charge....

Anonymous wrote on August 30, 2007 1:15 PM:

Nelly Bly...
Thanks for the DeLay info. I missed the session myself. I am constantly amazed at the ability of these clowns to sit up in public venues and more or less admit that they are nothing but scum and in the same breath, complain that the other scum is getting off easy.

Notice, however, DeLay did get what he was after when his public relations manager contacted the show to make sure would get on...

".... author of the new book...." (I refuse to contribute to his defense fund)

Nelly Bly wrote on August 30, 2007 1:39 PM:

Matt Lauer didn't even mention the fact that a GOP senator recently had his house searched by the FBI which was one for the history books. For that matter, everyone in the Alaskan delegation is under investigation.

I'm going to keep my eye out for the long overdue DeLay Foundation For Kids 990. Dollars to doughnuts, DeLay screws his orphans out of money.

Nelly Bly wrote on August 30, 2007 1:45 PM:

Ugh! Not orphans. Foster children.

I think Tom Delay is going to cheat the foster children living in his Oaks at Rio Bend project by re-directing contributions to the DeLay Foundation For Kids to his legal defense fund.

If DeLay had a grandmother, he'd sell her, too.

parrot wrote on August 30, 2007 2:13 PM:

It would seem that the Marine command is very good at covering up and letting off criminal behavior under their command. The Congress should investigate this case which appears to be a blatant violation of the Geneva Conventions...and seems to have been whitewashed by the Marines. The reasoning that the case might hurt morale for troops in Iraq is absurd...the fact that the Iraqi people see little if any justice being meted out by the US Military for violations of the rules of war and basic human decency is much more devestating than worrying about propping up the moral of killers.

parrot wrote on August 30, 2007 2:14 PM:

Voting Present wrote on August 30, 2007 4:22 PM:

The Craig link to the LA Times is registration-only. Please mark it as registration-only.

I never follow registration-only links, because I refuse to register.
.

Anonymous wrote on August 30, 2007 5:23 PM:

Parrot....
Your 3 posts were very interesting. Post #2 was especially good

Anonymous wrote on August 30, 2007 5:50 PM:

Re: "Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) is going to donate $23,000 of her "

I just read Obama will be doing the same thing....
Isn't he supposed to be setting an example for his children? Oh, I guess he is, isn't he...

shame on our politicians... all of them....

shoe me wrote on September 1, 2007 4:32 PM:

Another possible Delay connection...it seems that a mysterious new blog started up in Missouri to attack Jay Nixon, Matt Blunt's(son of Roy,bagman for Tom) opponent in the upcoming Gov. race. A smart Missouri blogger on The KC Blue Blog tracked the website to Houston Texas and to Bob Perry (money man for the swiftboat ads against Kerry)seems Mr. Perry and his wife have also contributed $300K to young Matt to aide him in his effort to sell Missouri to the highest bidder. Check it out.

shoe me wrote on September 1, 2007 4:33 PM:

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