An unlikely treasure-trove of donors for Clinton
The candidate's unparalleled fundraising success relies largely on the least-affluent residents of New York's Chinatown -- some of whom can't be tracked down.NEW YORK -- Something remarkable happened at 44 Henry St., a grimy Chinatown tenement with peeling walls. It also happened nearby at a dimly lighted apartment building with trash bins clustered by the front door.
And again not too far away, at 88 E. Broadway beneath the Manhattan bridge, where vendors chatter in Mandarin and Fujianese as they hawk rubber sandals and bargain-basement clothes.
All three locations, along with scores of others scattered throughout some of the poorest Chinese neighborhoods in Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx, have been swept by an extraordinary impulse to shower money on one particular presidential candidate -- Democratic front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Dishwashers, waiters and others whose jobs and dilapidated home addresses seem to make them unpromising targets for political fundraisers are pouring $1,000 and $2,000 contributions into Clinton's campaign treasury. In April, a single fundraiser in an area long known for its gritty urban poverty yielded a whopping $380,000. When Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) ran for president in 2004, he received $24,000 from Chinatown.
At this point in the presidential campaign cycle, Clinton has raised more money than any candidate in history. Those dishwashers, waiters and street stall hawkers are part of the reason. And Clinton's success in gathering money from Chinatown's least-affluent residents stems from a two-pronged strategy: mutually beneficial alliances with powerful groups, and appeals to the hopes and dreams of people now consigned to the margins.
The LA Times story goes on to say that "neighborhood association leaders" "told" Clinton's Chinatown donors to give money to Hillary's campaign. Donors also say they felt "pressured" to give. Strong arm tactics aside, bribery is also part and parcel of Hillary's Chinese money strategy. Hillary has signaled she is for granting citizenship to illegal immigrants and "family reunification." Interestingly, the article states,
One-third of those donors could not be found using property, telephone or business records. Most have not registered to vote, according to public records.
And several dozen were described in financial reports as holding jobs -- including dishwasher, server or chef -- that would normally make it difficult to donate amounts ranging from $500 to the legal maximum of $2,300 per election.
And then concludes,
Like many who traveled this path, most of the Chinese reported as contributing to Clinton's campaign have never voted. Many speak little or no English. Some seem to lead such ephemeral lives that neighbors say they've never heard of them.
So, illegal Chinese immigrants who cannot be found and hold such menial and low paying jobs they could not possibly donate campaign money in the amounts reported, are a sign of political strength. The American "mainstream" media has gone to Hell.
Does anyone remember former Clinton scandals involving illegal Chinese contributions? Lippo Groug, Charlie Trie, John Huang Johnny Chung and, more recently, Norman Hsu ring a bell? Let's take a quick walk down memory lane, shall we?
was convicted and sentenced to three years probation and four months home detention for violating federal campaign finance laws by making political contributions in someone else's name and by causing a false statement to be made to the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
John Huang, another Clinton bag man, deserves to be remembered. Curiously, after two years of investigations into whether Huang's illegal money contributions during the 1996 presidential election campaign reached into the leadership of the Democratic Party or the Oval Office itself, then Attorney General Janet Reno offered to give Huang immunity if he flipped on Maria Hsia, of Buddhist temple fund raising infamy, a relatively minor player in the illegal contribution scam.
When asked if he was acting as an agent of the Chinese army, Huang cited his Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate himself. 2,000 times! Huang, a former Lippo Group executive and Clinton appointee to the U.S. Commerce Department, pleaded guilty to a felony violation of campaign finance laws. In 1999, he was sentenced to one year of probation, 500 hours of community service, a $10,000 fine and instructed to continue cooperating with federal investigators as a condition of his probation.
Please check for updates. There's a lot more dirt and corruption to remember. Johnny Chung, The Lippo Group, Chinese military campaign contributions to the Clinton-Gore 1996 reelection campaign and their influence during Clinton's second term and Hillary's ties to Norman Hsu.
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