The story that the “paper of record” has ignored has a rather large right up on the WSJ’s Page One [1], today:
The U.S. Justice Department is investigating possible campaign-finance violations by top Democratic fundraiser Norman Hsu, according to people familiar with the probe. On Friday, Mr. Hsu surrendered to California officials on an unrelated grand-theft charge dating to the early 1990s.
Mr. Hsu, who, until earlier this week was one of the biggest fundraisers for Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Rodham Clinton, was booked at the San Mateo County jail, where he was handcuffed and later released on $2 million bail. Wearing a black suit and white shirt, Mr. Hsu rushed to a waiting black Chevy Suburban outside the jail lobby Friday afternoon without answering any questions from reporters.
Mrs. Clinton’s campaign declined to comment yesterday. The New York senator, along with other Democrats, has said she would turn over donations received from Mr. Hsu to charity.
It should be noted, that we as yet have no evidence that those funds were turned over. It would appear to be a difficult thing to turn over such a large amount of funds. But can we take Mrs. Clinton and her word? The obvious answer is ‘no’.
It comes down, in the end, to a matter of trust. Or, more correctly, the lack thereof. Particularly given her history.
I may have overstated somewhat the silence from the New York Times as regards to Norman Hsu. Ed Morrissey, this morning makes mention of a New York Times report on the collapsing cover stories Hsu’s been putting up. Ed allows as how the Times is trying to focus on the headlong retreat of Democrats from Hsu, (Gee, I wonder if they ‘d do that were Republicans the target of such monies?) and suggests that the real story comes a well down into the article in which Hsu appears to be no more than a front:
People who met him said they knew only that he ran an apparel business. Efforts to learn more about his trade hit dead-ends yesterday. Visits to companies at addresses listed by Mr. Hsu on campaign finance records provided little information. There were no offices in buildings in New York’s garment district whose addresses were given for businesses with names like Components Ltd., Cool Planets, Next Components, Coopgors Ltd., NBT and Because Men’s clothing — all listed by Mr. Hsu in federal filings at different times.At a new loft-style residential condominium in SoHo that was also listed as an address for one of his companies, an employee there said that he had never seen or heard of Mr. Hsu. Another company was listed at a condo that Mr. Hsu had sublet in an elegant residential tower in Midtown Manhattan just off Fifth Avenue, but an employee there said Mr. Hsu moved out two years ago, after having lived there for five years. The employee, who was granted anonymity because he was not authorized to talk about residents, said he recalled that Mr. Hsu had received a lot of mail from the Democratic Party.
Hillary Clinton told a Manhattan audience yesterday that her team tries to do the best they can in vetting volunteers. How could any vetting process possibly miss this? None of his story checks out at all, not even with the most cursory look at his record. It’s filled with false addresses. Not even his listed residence appears current. Exactly what kind of vetting did Hillary do?
I am reminded of an old joke From the old television series “Hogan’s Heroes” a doctor is sent to test an individual’s fitness for service in the then failing German army. There is but one chair in the room. The doctor looks at the patient and orders him to sit down in the brown chair. Being that that’s the only chair in the room, the patient shrugs and sits as ordered. The doctor notes in his log “Color vision … excellent”
Ed makes a further point:
Hilariously, Eliot Spitzer joined Hillary on stage yesterday. The Governor, whose previous job was Attorney General, got $62,000 of Hsu money for his campaign. Are we to believe that the former top law-enforcement officer of the state of New York couldn’t find out that Hsu was a fraud?
Clearly, it becomes a matter of resources. Mr. Spencer was obviously spending too many of those resources investigating the political opponent, Joe Bruno [2].
The corruption picture for the Democrats, just continues to get worse and worse.
Addendum: (Bit) Credit Glenn Reynolds with the name: Hsu-nami. [3] Memorable in it’s own light, and to the point.
Addendum:][ (Bit) Or, maybe the GateWay Pundit [4]
(BBCT: Surber [5] who deserves creds for a fine post on the topic)