News that Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) was the subject of a federal investigation into donations to his 2013 campaign came as a surprise to the governor himself.
Asked Tuesday by reporters in Boyce, Virginia about CNN’s report on the probe, McAuliffe said his reaction was, “Shock. No one had outreached us [sic].”
Anonymous U.S. officials briefed on the investigation told CNN that the FBI and the Justice Department’s public integrity unit have been looking into the Virginia governor’s campaign donations since at least last year. McAuliffe told reporters that he, like the public, learned of the probe from that report.
A $120,000 contribution from Chinese businessman Wang Wengliang, who has also donated to Bill and Hillary Clinton’s foundation, reportedly was one red flag for investigators.
McAuliffe assured reporters that Wengliang, like all of his donors, had been “fully vetted.”
“There’s no allegations of wrongdoing,” McAuliffe said. “They’re entitled to do an investigation. As I say in relation to this donor, he’s a valid donor. Had been a green card holder since 2007, and, you know, we fully vetted him.”
McAuliffe, a major fundraiser for the Democratic Party and a close friend of the Clintons, batted away suggestions that he used his former position as Clinton Global Initiative board member to solicit donations for both his campaign and the foundation.
“I didn’t bring the donor in,” he insisted.
Pushed to address the 100 donors that donated to both the Clintons’ foundation and his campaign, McAuliffe said, “I think we travel the same circles. I’ve traveled the globe with President Clinton and we have a lot of the same friends. Those that give to the Clinton foundation have been friends of mine for years. We friendship together.”
the Witch hunt continues ya think?
Drinking and gambling discovered in Joe’s Pool Hall. Details at 11.
“Anonymous U.S. officials briefed on the investigation told CNN…”
That is the real story which the media of course is failing to follow. “Anonymous” is almost certainly a GOPer and the story is an agenda. The donator had a green card so that means the donations were legal. But by putting the story out there, it creates lots of innuendo for the media to try to connect to Clinton. And the media is complicit to help the GOP. Very few of the stories about this mention that the donator had a green card. But they all hype the Chinese connection as if by default that is evil. And of course it spurs on the xenophobes.
Two thoughts.
First, the Supreme Court seems primed, in the Bob McDonnell case. to crack down on the government’s use of broadly written statutes to prosecute politicians for doing things for donors that they also do for non-donors. This is part of a broader trend in Supreme Court criminal law decisions, to deny the Government the opportunity to use vaguely worded statutes to prosecute or unduly enhance the sentences of defendant. (Truth be told, the statutes were written vaguely so that the prosecutors could be creative when it came to situations that were not yet contemplated, but the John Roberts court has had enough go that.) Therefore, what ever he did will have to have been blatantly one to get by a demurrer in federal court.
Second, McAuliffe never struck me as reckless. Unlike say, Bob McDonnell, he does not need to have a donor pay for his girl’s wedding or fly his wife on private jets. Forget what ever his morals and values are, he does not need to nickel and dime, and would not risk jail to do so.
So, is that a typo? Or did he actually say that?