Suitably Flip

Hillary Nabs 6th Hsu-Tainted Senate Endorsement

Today, the Clinton campaign is trumpeting an endorsement milestone, as Maria Cantwell (D-WA) became the 10th Senator to throw her weight behind Hillary.  A statistic the campaign doesn't mention is that Cantwell is now the 6th Senator with financial backing from Norman Hsu and/or his network of alleged straw donors to endorse Senator Clinton.

Other Hsu-greased Democratic Senators already in the Clinton camp include Dianne Feinstein (CA), Robert Menendez (NJ), Mark Pryor (AR), Debbie Stabenow (MI), and Sheldon Whitehouse (RI).  Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), one of Hsu's most richly funded politicians, has not made a formal endorsement, but his wife Ruth endorsed Clinton in July.

Cantwell received financial support from Norman Hsu directly and at least 8 members of his suspected illegal straw donor network in 2005 and 2006.  If the 15-count indictment against Hsu is accurate, the illegal contributions he funnelled to Cantwell were financed with money stolen from dozens of innocent victims who are still awaiting restitution.  That illicit financial support helped Cantwell win re-election in 2006 and to maintain the office from which she now endorses Clinton's Presidential bid.

According to FEC records, it appears Cantwell has yet to refund a dime of the tainted funds (which exceed $15,000) in the wake of Hsu's outing as a professional swindler and serial fugitive.  Nor has she even disgorged Hsu's direct contributions (totaling $4,200) through charitable donations, the half-measure taken by many of her Hsu-gilded colleagues.

Comments

Hillary Nabs 6th Hsu-Tainted Senate Endorsement

Today, the Clinton campaign is trumpeting an endorsement milestone, as Maria Cantwell (D-WA) became the 10th Senator to throw her weight behind Hillary.  A statistic the campaign doesn't mention is that Cantwell is now the 6th Senator with financial backing from Norman Hsu and/or his network of alleged straw donors to endorse Senator Clinton.

Other Hsu-greased Democratic Senators already in the Clinton camp include Dianne Feinstein (CA), Robert Menendez (NJ), Mark Pryor (AR), Debbie Stabenow (MI), and Sheldon Whitehouse (RI).  Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), one of Hsu's most richly funded politicians, has not made a formal endorsement, but his wife Ruth endorsed Clinton in July.

Cantwell received financial support from Norman Hsu directly and at least 8 members of his suspected illegal straw donor network in 2005 and 2006.  If the 15-count indictment against Hsu is accurate, the illegal contributions he funnelled to Cantwell were financed with money stolen from dozens of innocent victims who are still awaiting restitution.  That illicit financial support helped Cantwell win re-election in 2006 and to maintain the office from which she now endorses Clinton's Presidential bid.

According to FEC records, it appears Cantwell has yet to refund a dime of the tainted funds (which exceed $15,000) in the wake of Hsu's outing as a professional swindler and serial fugitive.  Nor has she even disgorged Hsu's direct contributions (totaling $4,200) through charitable donations, the half-measure taken by many of her Hsu-gilded colleagues.