Big Dem fundraiser wanted on swindling charges

The Los Angeles Times reports on this website tonight and in Wednesday's print editions that a major Democratic Party fundraiser named Norman Hsu is wanted by authorities for skipping out on an agreement to serve up to three years in prison after pleading no contest to grand theft swindling charges.

In a story by Chuck Neubauer and Robin Fields, The Times reports that for three years Hsu has been carving out a place of political and financial influence by funneling hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions into Democratic Party coffers, much of the money earmarked for Sen. Hillary Clinton. He has earned the ranking of Hillraiser for pledging to raise at least $100,000 for her.

In just the last 36 months Hsu has been involved in raising more than $1 million for Clinton and other Democrats. Howard Wolfson, a spokesman for the Clinton campaign, confirmed today that Hsu had been a "longtime and generous supporter" of the party including Clinton. "We have no reason to call his contributions into question or to return them," Wolfson added.

Hsu has developed a specialty of bundling hefty campaign contributions from obscure citizens who live modest lives and have never before given money to campaigns. Many are not even registered to vote.

Over the years other recipients of Hsu donations have included Sens. Dianne Feinstein, Barack Obama, Joe Biden and Edward Kennedy.

Hsu's lawyer confirmed today that his client was the one involved in the California case but said he did not remember pleading to a criminal case nor facing jail time.

"He is a fugitive," said Ronald Smetana of the California attorney general's office. "Do you know where he is?"

--Andrew Malcolm

Comments

[tina lin]

So what are the grand theft swindling charges? What was the "California case"? Did i miss something here?

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-hsu29aug29,0,2313285.story

[newspaperbrat]

ReElect President Gore & VP Edwards 2008!

[ProudPrimate]

I'm glad his list doesn't include the two recipients of my paltry sums -- Edwards and Kucinich. Hillary is every bit as much a corporate shill as the Bushies, and Obama seems like a media darling to me, a left-of-aisle Thompson. Dennis is the only real, consistent truth-teller out there.

Ah, but he's too short, right? (=groan=)

Lord, when will people evolve from animals?

[Madison]

dirty money, they need a good laundromat

[Madison]

yes, you did miss something get with the program!

[BeetleB]

So the Clinton-China connections continue.

I have to admit the Chinese are persistently loyal to the Clintons. If this were a Rep. scandle we would have had a complete rehash of the the connections in the previous administration.

[Karen Chang]

There are some major disconnects between the story you are trying to build (the "He is a fugitive" sentence at the end sums up your intention nicely) and the reality of the scenario which can be found easily in other news sources. Mr. Hsu is one of the biggest fundraisers for the Democratic party and regularly hobnobs with the rich and the powerful, including current senators Obama, Kennedy, Feinstein, and Clinton, as wells as former President Clinton. The latter if not all require a security detail as well as Secret Service escorts, and I am assuming, background checks on anyone who will be getting close. Obviously someone of Mr. Hsu's status and closeness to the former First Family has gone through the requisite background checks and obviously nothing of significance has come up.
Despite the rather sad plea by Mr. Ronald Smetana, Mr. Hsu is not a fugitive; he held a large fundraiser for Senator Clinton in Beverly Hills and I haven't heard any witness accounts that he was hiding in the bushes the entire time in fear of being caught by Mr. Smetana. Painting Mr. Hsu as a fugitive in "Breaking News" without any supporting facts is pure yellow journalism at its worst, and smacks of racist fear pandering. Is the LA Times so desperate to scoop the WSJ that they need to print a sensational headline without any content? Is the LA Times so desperate to emulate the success of the NY Times that they are willing to railroad another Asian American the same way that NY Times did with Wen Ho Lee?
And what makes the citizens who donate through Mr. Hsu "obscure" other than the fact that many of them may be of Asian descent? Millions of Americans donate every year and their relative obscurity never merits a mention in the LA Times, so why do the friends of Mr. Hsu get this honor?
Regards,
Karen

(Read the complete story at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-hsu29aug29,0,2313285.story
and decide for yourself.)

[ej]

Howard Wolfson is not the DNC spokesperson. That is a lie.

(Ans: You're right.)

[JohnHuang]

Do a Google search on Chinagate to learn more of the China/Clinton connections.

[Joe T.]

Something about this story stinks... it came out suspiciously close to the Larry Craig revelations, as if to attempt to counter it and deflect attention away from the GOP.

While all this about Hsu may be true, if these politicians knew nothing about his background, they can hardly be held liable unless you're just a rabid Democrat-hater anyway.

The question is, if all this stuff happened a while back (the donations to the listed Dems were given "over the years"), why is this just being reported NOW, right after news comes out that a Republican senator was arrested for lewd behavior in a men's room?

This is just too funny, and too obvious...

[15 year old news is a scoop??]

Since when was publicly available information from 15 years ago considered a scoop. This stuff was covered in several blogs during the day today with some actually useful insights into why this "big news" is not news at all. I am going to laugh tomorrow morning when I open the LA Times (for the last time) and read your mega scoop that took all of a public records search to unearth.

Way to go, you guys are really earning your money over there. What a joke.

If anyone wants to read an interesting view on this whole thing, in particular the half-story printed by the WSJ today.

[Jaded]

I find the whole story very interesting the WSJ showing the small little house in SF where a man with a 64K job and a stay at home wife and 4 other members of his family giving almost 200K dollars to DNC and Hillary and other D candidates...Mr Hsu giving almost the exact same amount in the same time and having used that address for his residency in the past...I have a husband and I work and I have 2 kids who work and go to college and we make more than the 64K in a much cheaper area than SF and we would have gone poor trying to give 200K to anyone let alone a bunch of politicians...There is definately the Chinese connection to the Clintons always has and always will be and no amount of wishing it were a conspiracy by the "right-wing" will change that. I also am well aware as a thinking adult that there is no "left-wing" MSM conspiracy again Senator Craig, he trolled for sex and got caught. Out of 300 million people we elect 535 house members and 100 senators and 1 president and for some reason we keep electing the most narcissistic of our society and then we are "shocked" when they do whatever makes them feel good and keeps them in power at our expense.

[Ralph Crossen]

No wonder we have lead paint on Barbi dolls and the Dems would rather chase Karl Rove...

[ricardo maxwell]

Just like the Clintons sold the US govt to the Chinese fifteen years ago, they are still doing it. The Chi Coms are using every trick and tactic in the book to defeat and control the USA and her economy. And stupid mind numb liberals are still being led blindly like sheep to the slaughter.

[Moneyrunner]

I see the Clinton scandal cover-up team is here. The themes are obvious and well practiced:
“It’s old news.”
“I question the timing.”
“The vast right wing conspiracy…” (at the LA Times? LOL!)
“Racist!”
“The story is not true.”
And Karen Chang, you did a wonderful variation on the “nuts and sluts” defense with a generous dollop of “racist” thrown in.
Come on guys, you need some new excuses. I realize they worked well during Bill Clinton’s reign, but they are showing signs of wear. How about: “look over there: Larry Craig!” Oh, sorry, Joe T. used that one.

[Big Dog]

Since Hillary will have to testify under oath about illegal fund raising (she was caught on tape ) maybe there is more to the illegal part of this than meets the eye.

[Steamboater]

And Hillary didn't know about all this? If she didn't she should have. If she did ...

[nelson]

Karen,

Your use of the word 'railroad' in the context of Wen Ho Lee is racist and offensive. I expect more sensitivity and historical awareness from someone at your level of white guilt.

[Dennis D]

Dems should nominate Hsu for some election. They love criminals. They knowingly elect crooks often. Williiam Jefferson , Marion Barry, Alcee Hastings. Alan Hevesi. and others. NO the GOP did not elect Cunningham AFTER his crimes were known.

Another Chinagate in the works here , Last time the DNC had to return 750K to Chinese Military Agents. America better wake up to these treasonous maggots.

[Dennis D]

Edwards is no Corporate Shill lol?? He only invests in companies that FORECLOSE on Katrina Victims.

[Christy]

" ..to serve up to three years in prison after pleading no contest to grand theft swindling charges."

Grand theft..swindling charges.....? Funny I have never heard of anyone else pleading to that charge before. As a matter of a fact, I did not know you could be charged with 'swindling'.

And then there is this....

"Hsu's lawyer confirmed today that his client was the one involved in the California case but said he did not remember pleading to a criminal case nor facing jail time."

He can not....remember...pleading. OR facing jail time...? Hmmm.

What an odd thing for a mans lawyer to say. To bad you did not take the time to clear up the standing confusion.

I mean, after all it is your jobs to do so.

Very odd. Very odd indeed.

[william henry childers]

Isn't this the same Norman Hsu involved with the Paw family in the SF bay area who have donated 45k$ to Clinton, nearly equal to this family's head of household's annual postal office worker's salary of 49k$? And what about the Stan Lee et al. election campaign contribution scandal in LA? How much more evidence of do we need that, truly, the fish stinks from the head?

[Purger]

Perhaps it's time to purge Congress.

We, PurgeCongress.com, believe that it's time to purge Congress.

[Saro Rizzo]

Why are people so upset that the story broke? Hillary is so desperate for cash that she will take it from anybody. Why isn't it front page of the New York Times is my question given that she is a New York Senator? All those who received money from the guy should give it back. And no, its not a anti-Asian thing to post the story and I'm sick of people claiming that everytime a story breaks about a currupt Asian-American its racism. Get over it. They guy is a convicted felon who is trying to buy influence to avoid jail. End of Story.

[Le e Mc]

First of all Karen you must be on one of the staffs of one of the above named Dimo front runners.

Should we except anything different from these people? Come on people these are the people that make their own rules as they go along.

It is do as I say not do as I do.

All Crooks, get rid of them.