Another fundraiser scandal for Hillary?
posted at 8:15 pm on April 3, 2008 by Ed Morrissey
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Hillary Clinton may soon become an irrelevancy in the campaign, but her associations may continue to create questions about the Democratic Party. Following on the heels of Norman Hsu, Robert Feldman, and Mauricio Celis, McClatchy reports that another Texas fundraiser for Hillary has a history of fraud. Kase Lawal of Houston faces charges of fraud and corruption in Nigeria by the same crusading prosecutor who worked the Nigerian end of the William “Dollar Bill” Jefferson case:
A Texas oilman who’s accused of defrauding the Nigerian government by illegally pumping and exporting 10 million barrels of oil is a major fundraiser for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.
Kase Lawal of Houston is at least the fourth person accused or convicted of criminal wrongdoing to help finance Clinton’s political ambitions since 2000 and the second in her quest for the White House. The list also includes Chinese and Pakistani fugitives and a former Miami lawyer who was convicted of defrauding Cuba. ….
[A] simple Google search by McClatchy produced reports of serious allegations about some of Lawal’s business dealings in Nigeria and South Africa.
Clinton’s campaign lists Lawal among about 250 “Hillraisers” who pledged to collect at least $100,000 in donations. Clinton attended a fundraising luncheon at Lawal’s home in Houston last Aug. 11 that generated more than $100,000, and she spoke to about 250 guests gathered around Lawal’s indoor swimming pool, including two former Houston mayors and Shell Oil President John Hofmeister.
When contacted by McClatchy, the Hillary Clinton campaign insisted that it carefully vets its fundraisers and as far as they know, Lawal is a pillar of his community. The Google search conducted by Greg Gordon and Will Connors belies the notion of any vetting at all. And Lawal is no mere contributor; like Hsu, the Ponzi-scheme fraudster who generated hundreds of thousands of dollars for Democrats, Lawal is a Hillraiser, one of her valued “bundlers”.
It’s the second Texas rainmaker for Hillary to come under a dark cloud. Celis got indicted last November for a variety of charges, including practicing law without a license and impersonating a public servant. The latter charge sprang from a bizarre incident where he attempted to take custody of a woman he tried to grope by telling police he was a deputy sheriff — in a robe. She had fled nude from his house and taken refuge at a convenience store, and Celis had followed her there.
Feldman didn’t work for Hillary but for a number of prominent Democrats, especially Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell and Senator Bob Casey, Jr. He has just been indicted on corruption charges involving Puerto Rico governor Anibal Acevedo Vila and a dozen other people. Feldman allegedly laundered bribes through Philadelphia and New Jersey for Acevedo at the same time he worked as a big-time fundraiser for other Democrats.
In 2006, the Democrats ran against the “culture of corruption”. In 2008, they look more like the party of corruption. Hillary may soon disappear from the presidential election, but her legacy will continue.
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This is what happens when the MSM continues to po-paw the liberals and their questionable endeavors. The corruption never stops.
Wade on April 3, 2008 at 8:20 PM
It’s also why news/opinion websites like HA and MM and Politico and LGF have just TAKEN OFF in total hits and true readership/comments over the last few years! MSM? Who listens to MSM anymore? Dhimmicrats? They are just corrupt stooges who want the terrorists to like them and the communists to take over this country! The biggest problems with that are 1) Communism has been proven as a failure ….and 2) Terrorists don’t want to be our friends, THEY WANT YO KILL US! They don’t care what party you belong to. Unless you are a member of “their religion” you are a slave or killed! WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE BEFORE YOU TRULY LOSE YOUR HEAD!
Vntnrse on April 3, 2008 at 8:37 PM
Don’t forget Alcee Hastings!
SouthernGent on April 3, 2008 at 8:40 PM
Nothing here…. Move on…..Hillarity didn’t know the money man was dirty…. She’ll give part of it back to her favorite lib loving charity … Move on now…
That McCain guy we must take a look at him and Rove, yea Karl Rove thats’ the really corrupt dude get him.
dhunter on April 3, 2008 at 8:41 PM
A Clinton involved with financial impropriety? heaven forfend!
Scribbler on April 3, 2008 at 8:52 PM
This is a meaningless term.
Jaibones on April 3, 2008 at 8:54 PM
So I’m thinking wouldn’t it just be more simpler for
Hillary to make this mafia style business of hers legal
and be done with it,because ya can’t have your cake and
eat it too,no!
The Democratic Party,cheerleaded by Nancy Pelosi ran a
a campaign against the Republican Party on “It might take
a Woman to clean the House”!
Speaker,Nancy ran on “Cleaning up the Corruption”.So there
was what one or two incidents regarding Republicans.
This has got to be a near record of the Liberal Party of
a continual never-ending,oh my lord how worse can it get,
between Jefferson,Spitzer when will it ever end!
And the best part of this corruption for the Democratic
Liberal Party is they still have 7 months to go,hahahaha!
canopfor on April 3, 2008 at 8:58 PM
Considering McClatchy newspapers(?)stand on all things political. One must wonder if this would have appeared if Hillary was the front runner. It is hard to believe those who covered for the Clintons for so long have turned on them. Liberal love is so fickle
Zelsdorf Ragshaft on April 3, 2008 at 9:03 PM
The best thing about all of these Dem superdelegates is watching them get arrested.
Why would Dems want a bunch of corrupt party insiders to represent their party to America?
daryl_herbert on April 3, 2008 at 9:20 PM
Good point daryl_herbert
no wonder Hilarity was in favor of felons having voting rights,
can’t have the superdelegates disqualifying themselves now can we?
dhunter on April 3, 2008 at 9:29 PM
Bovine Excrement!!!
I think I am safe to say that nothing, NOTHING, that comes out of Clinton, Inc. is truthful.
And people want them in charge of the Executive Branch?
Fools…..!
Seven Percent Solution on April 3, 2008 at 9:29 PM
“dhunter on April 3, 2008 at 9:29 PM”
Any relation to Duncan?
Seven Percent Solution on April 3, 2008 at 9:30 PM
Not to long ago the MSM was heralding this woman as the Democrats presumptive nominee. They were preparing to lift her and Bill unto their shoulders and carry them back to the White House.
No “culture of corruption” there. Right, boys?
I hope the MSM suffer a slow and painful death.
RMR on April 3, 2008 at 9:42 PM
In 2006, the Democrats ran against the “culture of corruption”. In 2008, they look more like the party of corruption.
At the head of the party sat one Mr. BJ Clinton; king of the mob called the Democrat Party. This is the largest organized crime ring ever formed in the history of modern times. Talk about putting their people in “high up places”…
Did you see BJ wag his finger at the poor sole who asked him about the Richardson defection? That was a classic case of BJ laying down the law for any others who might be considering defecting. That was BJ reminding Richardson that people have disappeared for far less.
What a bunch of saps we are to have allowed this network to operate freely under our noses, with our hard earned money. The perfect scam! This is a beast that is so thick, involves so many with so much power… Obama and Clinton are in deep; I just wonder where McCain fits in.
Keemo on April 3, 2008 at 9:43 PM
Nigeria? Is this the guy that keeps sending me email about some general and $10 million dollars?
CP on April 3, 2008 at 9:52 PM
Shameless fabrications!
This is just another example of the vast Right Wing Conspirators piling on a black man.
Don’t you see, he did it for Hillary … so it’s has to be all good.
Chimp 6 on April 3, 2008 at 9:55 PM
Indeed! The problem with that, as with Johnny Hsu, was and is, that she gives it to her favorite liberal charity, NOT back to the people that were originally bilked or scammed out of it in the first place! How much more corrupt can these democrats be?!?!?!
Vntnrse on April 3, 2008 at 11:58 PM
He just mis-invested, that’s all.
labrat on April 4, 2008 at 12:24 AM
As long as Hilary wears her Harry Potter-like “Cloak of Plausible Deniability” she’ll be fine. Unless some fool kid pipes up with, “The Empress has no clothes!”
(All of you who just imagined Hilary naked…have a good night.)
Doug on April 4, 2008 at 1:04 AM
In the case of the direct donations from Norman Hsu to Hillary the ‘charity’ she gave the money to was listed on her FEC submissions as ‘disgorged to the US Treasury’. Some charity that.
As to the linked donors from Hsu there were hundreds of refunds but a large percentage were sent back to wrong cities and zipcodes that didn’t matchup.
Most likely a lot of those refund checks have come back as undeliverable and the funds are still in her kitty.
CommentGuy on April 4, 2008 at 6:59 AM
Is anyone else getting sick and tired of the dis-honorable, corrupt state of existence professional politicians? Here we see Herself! engaging in illicit contributions or gladly ‘looking the other way’ while her campaign (as an aside, isn’t the Candidate in charge or is the staff/advisors in charge of the Candidate?) accepts ‘donations’ from corrupt sources. Both Clinton and Obama are now creditably tied to organizations that could be prosecuted under RICO statutes (this includes the entire Federal Congress and most State Governments).
We’re supposed to accept such behavior? Have we, as a society, become that accepting of corrupt activity that Obama is viewed as an Agent of Hope and Clinton viewed as ‘Change you can believe in’?
Sounds to me like everyone needs to take a cold shower and wake up.
SeniorD on April 4, 2008 at 10:12 AM
Herself’s “favorite charity” that illegal contributions are donated to? The William Jefferson Blythe Clinton Home For Wayward Interns. It’s a P.O. drop at the Clinton Liebrary in Little Rock.
GeneSmith on April 4, 2008 at 12:19 PM
As for the MSM, they are the product of “itching ears” listeners– they aren’t a product of some outer space entity, they exist because we the people put them there, wanting entertainment and drama. The industry will only adapt to new ways of performing when they learn that WE won’t play along anymore, but it takes a majority. They are money-loving bastards, feeding people the candy that makes them come back for more.
leftnomore on April 4, 2008 at 11:18 PM