September 5, 2007

Stokes, Hsu, and the Tennessee Democrats' Addiction to Dirty Money

The Knoxville News-Sentinel reports on the Tennessee Democratic Party's refusal to give up the $58,000 it received from convicted felon Norman Hsu, even as national Democrats such as Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are giving up the dirty money.

NASHVILLE - While some politicians are giving away money received from controversial contributor Norman Hsu, the Tennessee Democratic Party and Harold Ford Jr. have no such plans because the money has been spent.

Hsu, arrested in California last week after 15 years as a fugitive from a theft conviction, has personally donated more than $600,000 to Democratic causes in recent years, according to national media reports.

His involvement in helping to raise money from other donors for candidates has also been questioned. The Wall Street Journal, for example, reported that six members of a California family headed by William Paw, a 64-year-old mail carrier, gave more than $200,000 to Democratic candidates in the past two years. Hsu had used the family's home as an address.

The Tennessee Democratic Party received $58,000 from Hsu in personal donations last year - $38,000 to the party's fund for helping state campaigns and $20,000 to the party's fund for helping federal campaigns.

Ford received $14,700 in three contributions during 2005 and 2006 from Hsu personally. His campaign also received $5,600 from members of the Paw family, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.