BREAKING NEWS: Fugitive Dem fundraiser disappears, again
Norman Hsu, the bigtime Democratic Party fundraiser who was a fugitive from a pending prison term for years while raising money for prominent Democrats including Sen. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, failed to appear for a bail hearing in Redwood City, Calif. this morning.
His lawyer says he has no idea where his client is. And Hsu did not turn in his passport as required.
An arrest warrant was issued.
Hsu pleaded no contest in 1992 to a felony count of grand theft, admitting he'd defrauded investors of $1 million in a bogus investment scam. Prosecutors say he was facing up to three years in prison when he skipped town before being sentenced.
Federal Election Commission records show Hsu donated more than a quarter-million dollars to Democrats and their party since 2004. The Times' Dan Morain has the full story here.
By not appearing, Hsu forfeits his request to cut his $2 million bond in half.
Maybe he had a sudden fundraiser of his own to attend.
--Andrew Malcolm
Andrew Malcolm's immigrant parents repeatedly stressed the importance of active participation in a democracy. Early lessons included learning the alphabetical list of states by watching televised roll calls of national political conventions. That childhood exposure led to a lifelong fascination with politics, including 40-plus years of covering them and a brief stint practicing them as press secretary to Laura Bush in 1999-2000. A veteran foreign and national correspondent, Malcolm served on the Times Editorial Board and was a Pulitzer finalist in 2004. He is the author of 10 nonfiction books and father of four.
Johanna Neuman is a veteran Washington correspondent for both The Los Angeles Times and USA Today, having covered presidents and politics as far back as Ronald Reagan. A former president of the White House Correspondents Assn., she authored a book on media and foreign policy, “Lights, Camera, Wars.” Most recently she was co-author of the 
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TO BARNEY FRANK,
I WOULD LIKE TO START OFF BY SAYING I THINK YOU ARE TRYING TO DO THE BEST FOR US AVERAGE AMERICANS. SO THANK YOU.
TODAY 31 AUG,2007 LISTEN TO WHAT THE PRESIDENT IS TRYING TO OFFER IS A START AND EVEN HE IS SEEING SOME LIGHT(MAYBE) BUT I DO NOT THINK HE HAS THE GOOD OF US ALL AVERAGE AMERICANS AT HART.
WHY YOU MAY BE ASKING YOURSELF RIGHT? WELL THIS IS WHY, FOR OVER 20 YEARS AND I THINK YOU CAN GO BACK THAT FAR , YOU IN CONGRESS HAVE BEEN
USING OUR TAX DOLLARS TO BAILOUT THE SAME COMPANYS THAT HAVE BEEN TAKENING US AVERAGE AMERICANS FOR A RIDE IN THE CREDIT MORGAGES AND CREDIT CARD COMPANYS.
SO WHY DO US AVERAGE AMERICANS STILL HAVE TO TAKE WHAT THIS GOVERNMENT AND THESE LOBBIEST HAVE DELT US IN THIS CRISE? TALK ABOUT MISLED AND LIES ON THE PART OF THE GOVERNMENT(IRAQ) REMEMBER THAT?
SO WHY IS IT OK TO SLAP THESE COMPANYS ON THE HAND?
EVEN AS THESE LARGE CORPORATION HAVE MADE BILLION ON TOP OF BILLIONS ON US AVERAGE AMERICANS YOU AND THIS PRESIDENT IS SAYING THAT’S OK!!! WHY?
I WOULD LIKE TO ASK YOU TO TELL ME AND AMERICA WHY DO WE HAVE YOU ALL DOWN THEIR IN WASHINGTON IF ALL YOU ALL CAN DO IS KEEP BAILING OUT LARGE CORPS/BUISENESS AND FORGIVE THEM FOR ANY LOST???WELL ITS OUR TAX DOLLARS THAT YOU IN CONGRESS ARE SAYING AND GIVENING AWAY WITH AMERICANS KNOWING NOT HAVING A SAY IN IT? WHY?
THIS IS NOT HAPPENING TO JUST SUPPIME LOANS I WOULD HOPE YOU KNOW THIS!!!!
THE TAX CODES DO HAVE TO CHANGE, WHY BECAUSE YOU IN CONGRESS HAS PUT US AMERICANS IN THIS SITUATION BELIEVE IT OR NOT..WHY YOU SAY? (IF YOU DID NOT PUT US IN IRAQ FOR THE PAST 6 YEARS THE FEDS WOULD HAVE NOT HAD TO RISE THE INTEREST RATES THAT THESE COMPANY HAD TO PAY TO GET MONEY AND LEND, AND WE THE PEOPLE WOULD NOT BE RESPONDSABLE TO PAY FOR THIS ILLEIGAL WAR/OCCUPATION YOU AND THIS PRESIDENT HAS PUT US IN..RIGHT? RIGHT!!!
So please tell me why we the people should not have the same as you all give these big corps/credit compamys atc,etc its more our dollars than yours to give out without looking out for us average americans..we need a total bailout period!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We deserve it, putting up with all the trillions you all are spending on this illeigal war, plus loseing what was that amount again oh ya 100 plus billion in u.s.a. tax dollars that was in 6 trailers that some how got to iraq and then magicly disapeared,gone no one know were it is.why why.. I know you all are not looking for it. Like hellaburtins/cheney/bush and so many other slimes contracted though cheneys crime family and bush..
So I do think you need to do something a lot more than what this presidents has stated…I hope you all will not cave in to all these lobbeiest and their big money like most of ypou down their do…
Its time to help americans and I would think all of congress also see this.
Let me ask congress this, this is america??? So if you believe in what america stands for and how we got there, than why not support americans..we don’t help cuba because they are commist..so why are we helping china!!! That by the way is also commist..remember (red china) they must be laughing all the way to the banks….as they slowlly kill us and our kids…
Any american company doing buisness in other country other than america should be fined or not allowed to have their idems sold in america..maybe we would get back some 1million or so jobs to start..how about this take a minute and call some of these customer service numbers from these large lobbiest company paying and bribering all you down their that they are for america,ask them to call they get india,china,romania,turkey few you get america and a american..why why why..
Well I could go on and on but I do have to work and try to save my home. So thank you and lets try to get everone to work for the commend good of americans for once, that’s what important that’s why you were elected all of you were,and took that oath to serve america for americans….
David a belanger,veteran u.s.army 978-618-3105
Posted by: david a belanger,veteran us army | September 05, 2007 at 10:41 AM
Maybe he went by way of Vince Foster? Or maybe Charlie Trie? Either way its not much of a surprise, is it?
Honestly, its most likely he was an Chinese Intel Operative. The Chinese connection to the Clinton political machine is pretty well known and obvious.
Anyone who doesn't know this by now has had their head in the sand the last 10-15 years.
Run Norman, run!!!
Posted by: Lyman Hall | September 05, 2007 at 10:50 AM
There is nothing more then a double standard to this whole affair. What were the DA and the CA Attorney General doing since this fellow was discovered and then allowed to turn himself in. His attorney does not know what happened to him or where he is the biggest farce, and of course as attorney client privilege, the attorney does not have to say or disclose anything.
Posted by: Chui | September 05, 2007 at 10:54 AM
So instead of returning the funds to those from whom it was stolen, Hillary will just launder the money instead?
Posted by: Olberma | September 05, 2007 at 11:01 AM
Interesting how Clinton's fundraiser is all over the news, but repub finance chair for Mitt Romney's campaign Alan Fabian is facing a 23 count indictment against him, but all I'm hearing from The Times and mainstream media is CRICKETS. Let's see a little "Fair and Balanced" reporting, LA Times!
Posted by: JPardue | September 05, 2007 at 05:30 PM