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Clinton�s �New� Fundraising Team Includes Some Old Scandal-Ridden Friends - Judicial Watch

Thursday, September 27, 2007
Posted in At the Edge | Tagged At the Edge

The campaign fundraising scandal involving apparel executive and admitted felon Norman Hsu and Hillary Clinton has the press probing the backgrounds of some of the bigger presidential campaign contributors.� And the news just keeps getting worse for Democratic front-runner. According to an article in the Thursday edition of The Washington Post:� “A list of the donors who have �bundled’ large sums from dozens of individuals to give to Hillary Rodham Clinton’s presidential campaign includes several figures who were involved in the 1990s Democratic Party fundraising scandal that tarnished her husband’s record.”

Among the bundlers:

Marvin Rosen:� “The former Democratic National Committee finance chairman whose efforts to reward six-figure party donors with attendance at White House coffees and overnight stays in the Lincoln Bedroom became the focal point of Senate hearings into fundraising abuses.”�

William Stuart Price:� “The Oklahoma oilman, also on the �Hillraiser’ list, stunned a courtroom in 1995 when he detailed how his former gas company had tried to �gain influence with the Clinton administration by providing $160,000 in money and membership in a ritzy Washington golf club to the son of a Cabinet secretary.”

Robert G. Torricelli:� The former Democratic New Jersey Senator, “who withdrew from a 2002 reelection campaign after being �severely admonished’ by the Senate for taking lavish gifts from a businessman and contributor, David Chang.”

These are all charitable descriptions.� Marvin Rosen brought all sorts of mobsters, Chinese agents of influence, and other nefarious types into the White House to raise money from them.� His former law firm was fined for soliciting foreign contributions (Rosen is alleged to have done the soliciting).� Price was involved in a Chinagate-related scheme that involved the late Ron Brown, Hillary, and Mack McLarty (Bill Clinton’s former chief of staff).� And Torricelli escaped a criminal indictment the Chang scandal by the skin of his teeth.� Quick Google searches on any of these characters will produce hours of reading about the lawless outrages of the first Clinton era.

Now Hillary isn’t the only candidate connected to scandal-ridden donors.� (The article touches briefly upon the Romney and Edwards campaigns as well.)� But the fact is none of the other presidential candidates have Hillary Clinton’s sordid history of campaign finance schemes, scandals and violations.� If Hillary is under more scrutiny than the rest, she has only herself to blame.

With respect to Hsu, the man who touched off all of this press scrutiny, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New York charged the Democratic fundraiser with campaign finance crimes and creating a $60 million “Ponzi” scheme on Thursday.� (Check out the official Department of Justice press release here.)� Interestingly, the criminal complaint makes no mention of Hillary, the beneficiary of his scams.� I hope this means the US Attorney there in the Southern District of New York (Michael Garcia) isn’t afraid to investigate everyone in this scandal, including Hillary. �It wouldn’t be first time federal prosecutors flinched when confronting Clinton corruption.� More to come…