John McCain, Republican Party are reviewing curious donations

John McCain moved Thursday to return about $50,000 in donations raised by a defense contractor who has amassed $500,000 for his presidential campaign.

McCain’s campaign has been stung by news accounts raising questions about some donations. The campaign sent letters to donors whose contributions were solicited by Florida businessman Harry Sargeant III and his business partner Mustafa Abu-Naba'a, a Jordanian native.

"We’re going to take the precautionary step of returning the contributions solicited by Mr. Abu-Naba’a," McCain spokesman Brian Rogers said, noting that one of the donors was quoted as saying he gave the money but would not vote for McCain. "It just didn’t sit right."

Republican National Committee spokesman Alex Conant said the RNC also would review Sargeant's donations.

Sargeant raised several hundred thousand dollars for McCain, the Republican National Committee and the Republican Party of Florida this year. He is finance chairman of the Florida state GOP, and has been a major donor to Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, a college friend and one of McCain's frequently mentioned vice presidential prospects.

The letter to the donors came after the Washington Post and other publications raised doubts about roughly $50,000 in contributions from about 13 California contributors, who are of Middle Eastern extraction.

The letters remind the donors of the law: only U.S. citizens can donate, and the money must be their own. The letter invites them to seek refunds if they don’t meet the criteria.

In 2004, Sargeant's firm, International Oil Trading Co. LLC., won a $1-billion contract to supply petroleum to U.S. troops in Iraq.

One of Sargeant’s partners, Mohammad Anwar Farid Al-Saleh, is related by marriage to King Abdullah II of Jordan. Al-Saleh has sued Sargeant and Abu-Naba'a, contending he helped Sargeant win the contract but was cut out of millions in the enterprise's profits.

Here is a copy of McCain's letter:

August 7, 2008
Dear _____:

Due to recent news reports, we are writing to remind you of the legal requirements for making contributions to federal candidates.
John McCain 2008 is prohibited by federal law from accepting contributions from corporations, government contractors, or foreign nationals (persons who are not US citizens or permanent residents). We may only accept contributions made by individuals from their own funds. Such contributions may not be reimbursed to you by any other person or entity.
We greatly appreciate your support and financial contribution. However, if your contribution does not meet all of these requirements, please contact me at ... immediately so that we can arrange a refund of your contribution.

Sincerely,
…
John McCain 2008

-- Dan Morain

Comments

[Bill]

What a crooked old man.

[Al B]

Well, gee, you LA Times bloggers must be running out of positive news stories to churn up about our up-standing, maverick John Mc Cain. I guess Mr. Mc Cain is beyond reproach. Now he's returning pocket change to those with middle eastern sounding names- wouldn't want that story to come out when our faithful Mc Cain-lovin' LA Times bloggers have got something to say about it.
Mc Cain is cut from the same cloth of this current bunch of gangsters, he don't need no stickin' 50K- he wants the BIG feedin' trough for the same powerful few that run this country with an iron fist. John Mc Cain is Dick Cheney in a "gosh - gee shucks" character and he don't fool those that aren't so damn dumb that they voted for Bush twice. Did you guys vote for Bush twice? I thought so.

[Ron]

Why is it that they only return campaign contributions from shady deals when they are caught ? Since John McCain insists on running a juvenile campaign , all I can say to him is " LIAR LIAR PANTS ON FIRE "

[O P Neon]

RNC has hurt America for all the years with power, undermined democracy and damaged the country from within to an extent that no external power ever could. They should feel shame, but shameless as they have been, they focus on how to screw the nation further.

[Peter Principle]

Curious? Is that the LAT's new McCain-firiendly euphemism for sleazy and corrupt? Accepting political donations from a foreign national isn't curious, it's illegal.So is funneling money from a foreign national through false front donors.

What's curious is the LAT's willinginess to spin any story McCain's way.

[Scootmandubious]

For those who do not think that there is a media bias in favor of John McCain, can you imagine the media furor that would have ensued had the Jordanian been linked to Barack Obama?

I certainly can.

[Terris Linenbach]

Wow, this is really shocking. Rich men wring their business partners to make donations to Republicans? I just don't believe such a thing would happen in America in 2008. This must be more of the liberal news media reporting untruths. Remember everyone: vote for McCain or Satan wins.

[Michael]

Well, you've made sure to give this story some good play.

Will you delve into the details of the voter registtation fraud in Wisconsin?

Seems like some of Obama's cronies from Chicago took a short roadtrip to register some notable cheeseheads.

[Steve]

McCain is going to try anything to win this election, after all, he is behind. Obama should harshly and definitively rebuke any negative attacks and then systematically outline the republican attack strategy. If he does it effectively, then any halfway competent individual will realize how saddistically "compelling" and popular political ads attempt to dehumanize the opponent, especially the best Republican ads.

That is not to say many people will not still favor McCain, I've always been a democrat but I really dont like pandering about releasing some oil from the petroleum reserves, and the US ethanol policy, including large subsidies to grow corn everywhere, are bad for the economy and the environment.

Obama is far and away the more intelligent candidate. Forget about the "experience" variable (experience = years in politics + years of military service), as if you can show somebody your experience card in place on intelligent, coherent, and logical speech. As if experience is the equivalent of superior factual knowledge of likely every significant current event as well as the history significance of that event. Not to mention for you lovers of the Constitution, his job was once teaching very smart people Constitutional Law. It's a shame he didn't take more economics classes. But therein lies the greatest advantage in his intuitive and intellectual superiority.

He, in all likelihood, will surround himself with very smart, informed, diverse, and ultimately helpful people. McCain is surrounded by the chorus line of scoundrels who design campaign after campaign, that we in hindsight criticize for their duplicity. Obama needs to forcefully reiterate one thing most of all, he is willing to do anything that is logical, efficient, and possible. He will listen to the most knowledgable people on every subject and use his powerful, GOD GIVEN (haha) abilities to lead the nation. Make it clear that he is a realist, not an idealist, or an elitist.

And then tell everybody about how McCain's strategy is to remain in Iraq, attack Iran, cut income taxes and somehow, miraculously, reducing the deficit by cutting spending and lowering oil prices. At the same time, correcting global warming, increasing our presence in Afghanistan, cutting corporate taxes, disintegrating job-based healthcare, saving domestic jobs while promoting free trade and deregulation, and several other contradictory and completely impossible promises.

Don't blow it Barack, you will never face a weaker opponent.

[gerald]

If there were a group of questionable donations all with the name Abdullah that were funneled through a guy in Jordan who is a Jordanian national who is under investigation for war profiteering and it were Barack Obama instead of John McCain would this be a bigger deal?

- Marc Ambinder

On this one McCain gets a pass from the media. It doesn't make the race closer because it hurts McCain and that doesn't sell papers.