WASHINGTON — Sen. Hillary Clinton, whose campaign is returning $850,000 in contributions linked to disgraced fundraiser Norman Hsu, indicated Wednesday that donors who contributed that money could donate to her presidential campaign once again.
“We’re not asking that that be done,” she said. “But I believe that the vast majority of those 200-plus donors are perfectly capable of making up their own minds about what they will or won’t do going forward.”
Clinton’s remarks were her first public comments on the affect Hsu’s unraveling fortunes have had on her presidential campaign. Hsu was a leading money “bundler” for Clinton, earning the title of HillRaiser for his fundraising activities.
“It was very difficult for us to make any decision other than returning the contributions that were in any way connected to him and that is what we decided to do,” she said.
Clinton’s campaign said this week that any donors whose money was returned could donate once again if they confirm to the campaign that the contributions are from their own personal funds.
Hsu, unknown in political circles until about four years ago, was booked into the Mesa County jail in Colorado on Wednesday evening after leaving a hospital where he has been since failing to show up for a bail hearing last week in California. He had been wanted as a fugitive for missing his sentencing on a 1991 grand theft case to which he had pleaded no contest.
Hsu was booked on an outstanding warrant charge from California, sheriff’s officials said. A hearing was scheduled for this afternoon.
In the past two weeks, news reports raised questions about his fundraising practices and divulged his fugitive status. Law enforcement authorities said the FBI is now investigating whether Hsu paid donors to contribute to politicians. His lawyer has said Hsu did not break the law and that donors he solicited contributed their own money.
Hsu raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Democratic candidates and groups until his theft conviction became known. Many of those candidates, including Clinton, have announced plans to return or donate to charity Hsu’s election contributions.
Hsu had spent 15 years on the lam, until he surrendered to authorities in California on Aug. 31.
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