Opinion: Edwards knocks Clinton over donors in Times story

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Presidential campaigns do not like to miss an opportunity to drive home a message, especially if it’s free and critical of their opponents. So today the John Edwards crew issued a statement critical of Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton and pointing to a Times story as proof.

The story by Peter Nicholas and Tom Hamburger appeared online here last evening and in Friday’s print editions. The story detailed a vast Clinton fundraising operation producing hundreds of thousands of campaign dollars in $1,000 and $2,000 gifts from dilapidated New York Chinatown addresses and poor Chinese families of dishwashers, waiters and sidewalk vendors on the margins of the economy who would seem unlikely targets for political contributions.

The close connection, which has helped make Clinton the most successful presidential fundraiser in history, is Chinese neighborhood associations, especially those representing new immigrants from Fujian province, and at least one organization previously involved in illegal gambling and human trafficking operations.

In a statement, David Bonior, Edwards’ campaign manager, said, ‘Many Clinton campaign contributions are raising eyebrows again. Many of their donors are not even registered to vote, and at least one denied even making any contribution at all.

‘In order to win in 2008,’ Bonior continued, ‘Democrats need to select a nominee who knows the system in Washington is not only broken, but it’s corrupt. This is not a purity contest -– it’s not about what we’ve done yesterday. This is about what each of us can do today to fix the system.

‘The bottom line,’ he added, ‘is we need a nominee who can do two things: campaign in all 50 states and challenge our broken system in Washington. With every day the growing question has to be can Hillary Clinton do either?”

-- Andrew Malcolm