Led by a number of conservative bloggers (including, full disclosure, me), some of Tennessee's news media outlets have begun to report on the connections of convicted felon and big-time Democratic fund-raiser Norman Hsu to the Tennessee Democratic Party and the failed Senate campaign of former U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Jr., who now heads the Democratic Leadership Council.
After a few days of reports by blogger Terry Frank, myself and other Tennessee conservative bloggers, and discussion on the popular Steve Gill radio show, following publication of a long list of Hsu's money recipients, the story has begun to appear in the mainstream Tennessee media, including the Nashville City Paper, the Knoxville News-Sentinel, and NashvillePost.com, so far, not in The Tennessean, which serves the capital city of Nashville, or the Memphis Commercial-Appeal.
NashvillePost.com reported that the Tennessee Democratic Party, which got a whopping $58,000 from Hsu, said it would keep the money as it was received in "the last cycle" and had already been spent. Similarly, Ford Jr. said his campaign had already spent the money.
Today's Knoxville News Sentinel story notes that this isn't the first time that the Tennessee Democratic Party has refused to give up tainted money. Last year, the party received more than $50,000 from the CEO of a Nashville-based company who is awaiting trial on charges that he defrauded people whose retirement accounts his company managed. The Tennessee Democratic Party has refused to return that money.
Will the state's two largest papers - the Tennessean and the Commercial-Appeal - run the story? Unknown.
Meanwhile, feel free to check the list of Hsu's donations and see if there are local connections in your state - and then let us know if the media in your state is mentioning the local connections to the Democrats' dirty-money man.
(Update: Newer, more complete list of Hsu's donations here, and the blogger who created the list says he's still working to make it even more complete.)
Full disclosure: The writer of this post has been hired to become the communications director of the Tennessee Republican Party, effective Oct. 29.
—Bill Hobbs is author of Who Is Fred Thompson, a blog-centric look at the presidential candidate.
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Comments Policy
The more you know, the less they will report
Wed, 09/05/2007 - 11:03 ET by general companyAnd since the MSM/DNC wants to clean up all of DC they will follow up with investigative reporting. Well it could happen,,,,
I'm betting the real story
Wed, 09/05/2007 - 11:05 ET by BruzillaI'm betting the real story of Hsu's money isn't going to be who he gave it to, or what they did with it, but where it was coming from. This guy was a serious conman who got caught and convicted, then disappeared from notice for over a decade. If this guy were still engaged in criminal enterprises, he would have come to the attention of law enforcement in NYC or elsewhere. Since he hasn't, he's been leading a low-key, legal, lifestyle. Keeping that in mind, most of his "businesses" are just fronts, both figuratively and in reality, so where is all this money coming from?
It doesn't take Perry Mason to figure out that folks like the Paws and hundreds of others don't make the bucks to be giving tens of thousands to the Democrats, and assuming Hsu reimbursed them, where is all his money coming from? Lots of disposable cash, no identifyable sources of income, and no blips on law enforcement radars, spells foreign agent to me. I'm betting this guy gets his money from the PROC. They tried to buy the presidency for Gore, probably helped Clinton win, and now they're out to get Hillary in as a friend at the White House.
It's more that that even
Wed, 09/05/2007 - 11:14 ET by mattmThe real story is not just Hsu or where the money comes from... It's also where the money goes...
In other words, the story is the entire apparatus the Democrats are using to circumvent the campaign finance laws. This is a crime that should result in jail time for all involved...especially Hillary.
Hillary Clinton is savvy
Wed, 09/05/2007 - 12:26 ET by BruzillaHillary Clinton is savvy enough to make sure no tainted money is ever connected to her. She'll give her "I'm shocked!" speech and move on, while her underlings take the heat and any charges. If the PROC was trying to buy Hillary like they did Bill, there's no way they would push that kind of money and support to her if their wasn't some level of understanding and agreement between her and the PROC, but you'll never prove it.
follow the money
Wed, 09/05/2007 - 12:47 ET by vrwc13I am sure there is more...
Men stumble over the truth from time to time, but most pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing happened. -Winston Churchill.
What has Hillary promised the PRC in return for the money?
Wed, 09/05/2007 - 12:45 ET by RJTHAT'S the REAL question.
Bill already gave them the big secrets, those that allowed them to develop their guided missile technology....those that made sure we weren't the world's only superpower....a goal that was stated by members of the Clinton administraton.
Hillary must have had to raise the bar to a new level...
What has Hillary promised the PRC in return for the money...
Wed, 09/05/2007 - 13:07 ET by vrwc13...is a continued effort to socialize the U.S. so that soon into her 2nd term we will have socialized medicine, health care, schools, media, child raising...
and so now legitimize the Chinese socialist/communist government...
and my response:
9 Do not take away my soul along with sinners,
my life with bloodthirsty men, 10 in whose hands are wicked schemes,
whose right hands are full of bribes. Psalm 26
7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when men succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes. 8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret—it leads only to evil. 9 For evil men will be cut off,
but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land. Psalm 37
Some day they will have to answer to Him! Until then "do not fret!"
v
PROC...
Wed, 09/05/2007 - 11:36 ET by vrwc13People's Republic of China...I had to look it up.
Wasn't President Clinton "hooked up" with them?
Let's see, PROC is ruled by communisn, Bill and Hillary are socialists. Any dots to connect here?
Men stumble over the truth from time to time, but most pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing happened. -Winston Churchill.
Breaking News
Wed, 09/05/2007 - 11:55 ET by BarkerThis Just In: China has issued a recall for millions of dollars worth of tainted campaign cash. In a related story, Howard Dean has hanged himself.
Developing..........
Breaking News II
Wed, 09/05/2007 - 12:21 ET by BruzillaThis just in, Hsu has disappeared. He didn't show up for his bail hearing in CA... just another major campaign contributor for Clinton/Democrats who is busy trying to flee the country right now (or laying dead in a hole). On the Republican side, we run our problem children through a trial and into jail, and endure the hollers of "culture of corruption". On the Democrat side, the problem children make a hasty exit to another country and never see trial, and since there is no trial, all claims of campaign finance abuse are just the "politics of personal destruction" offered up by the VRWC.
Where there's smoke there's fire, but where the fire hauls ass to China (or Pakistan) and just leaves damage, there's just a retired couple on a limited income donating tens of thousands of dollars to Democrats... and who could possible see anything wrong with that picture?
Hsu Flew To You Knew To
Wed, 09/05/2007 - 12:57 ET by Lame CherryHsu has somehow not shown up for court today and that means he somehow got a fake travel passport, was helped to get through airport security and somehow "American security never saw him".
Hsu is so highly connnected to the Chinese communists as a money launderer and with the DNC along with "select globalist sects controlling American security" that he simply flew out of America with a pass.
All this means is this is explosive and the "whoever fed this story to NR" was part of the cowboys and knew exactly who Hsu was, his connections and that this story has the depth and potentional to drive right back into not only Hillary's campaign now, but Clinton and Gore in 1996.
Just so people know where this is going, if one pulls all the threads in this it will run right back into the PLA of the Chicoms who dumped millions into the Clinton 1996 presidential bid.....while the MSM just sat on it........if you pull this harder you will find it goes into Indonesia with they Riyadi family and all that high grade coal mined for Chicoms and if you tug it a bit more you will find out why Wack Wes Clarke bombed the Chicom embassy in Kosovo along with those dead miners in Utah, Pennsylvanian and West Viriginia when Bill shut down the biggest American high grade coal reserve.
The dirty money is on the Clinton and Gore hands.....and blood is on the hands of them and all of those liberals like Huffington and Maher, because this is what caused the bin Laden attacks and the wars America is in.
IF and IF this comes to fruition this is going to be the biggest scandal in world history..........there are bigger ones, but they are covering them up.
Hey Keeter Olberman, suck on this one you sour lemon and see what a primo story this is as your guilt is piled up in this too.
*HIC IACET ARTORIVS REX QVONDAM REXQVE FVTVRVS
Step Up Condi
Wed, 09/05/2007 - 14:00 ET by CaringwhiteguyWill Secretary of State Rice ask the Peoples Republic of China to return this wanted fugitive to the US for sentencing? Unfortunately I think I know the answer.
The thing to watch here is
Wed, 09/05/2007 - 14:23 ET by BruzillaThe thing to watch here is where does this guy turn up. All of the news accounts about him are playing up the fact that is Hong-Kong bown, and not from the PROC. I'm betting he turns up (if he's still alive) in the PROC somewhere, and not in Hong Kong. Based on his finances and lack of any definable job, I'm betting he was an agent of some sort.
Ohio Democrat Dirty Money
Wed, 09/05/2007 - 13:04 ET by stratmanThe Ohioan Democrat politicians listed (Gov. Strickland, Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner and Sen. Sherrod Brown) have all stated they have already or will donate Hsu's money.
Still some disrepancies remain:
There is a question that remains unclarified whether all of the $98,000 should be returned/donated by Strickland. Obviously the Governor feels not since he only divested himself of $10,000.
Since Paw is considered dirty like Hsu, and in fact may just be a front for Hsu's money machine, shouldn't Sherrod Brown aslo donate/return the Paw donations too?
I could not any acknowledgement by Ohioans For A Fair Minimum Wage (probable AFL-CIO front group) concerning Hsu's dirty money or find information on what the plan plan on doing with the dirty money.
Killing them with kindness isn't working. Time to get scrappy with the Donkeys.
Thank you Mr. Hobbs
Wed, 09/05/2007 - 13:20 ET by iveseenitallThank you Mr. Hobbs and NB for keeping this story alive. I was beginning to think it would go the way of Sandy the Burglar. WHAT DID HILLARY KNOW AND WHEN DID SHE KNOW IT? The answer to that question won't come from her mouth, that's for sure.
NEVER,NEVER trust a "liberal"
isia... The answer to
Wed, 09/05/2007 - 16:23 ET by bigtimerisia...
The answer to that question won't come from her mouth, that's for sure.
If anything does come from her pie-hole it will be ...
....I don't recall....
Add Wisconsin Governor
Wed, 09/05/2007 - 14:01 ET by CaringwhiteguyAdd Wisconsin Governor Diamond Jim Doyle (D-Wisconsin) to the list.
This guy is just like
Wed, 09/05/2007 - 13:22 ET by buddycThis guy is just like dozens of others who the Clinton's used when Bill was president. Her corrupt web is everywhere.
What is sad is that Hillary will obscure her corruption by blinding her followers with claims of persecution by the right wing. The Clinton's do nothing, are corrupt and engage in the most nasty political games since Nixon. The supporters never seem to notice because their are so caught up the Clinton hate game.
THey had 8 years in office. What did they accomplish? Hillary will probably get 4 years and will accomplish nothing. They are losers. They are con artists. The country would be better off with almost any democrat candidate other than with Hillary.
Just read over on
Wed, 09/05/2007 - 16:13 ET by msh1973Just read over on FoxNews.com that Hsu did not appear for his court hearing this morning (a bond reduction)....no big surprise! His attorney said he had not heard from him and he did not surrender his passport. Whose idea was that, that he not turn in his passport?
Hi msh... Wow... I am
Wed, 09/05/2007 - 16:21 ET by bigtimerHi msh...
Wow...
I am really behind...I have had a heck of a day so far...
Just wanted to thank you for the info on Hsu being a No-Show...
How convenient...
Now if we could just get the Clintoon's to do the same.
We could never be so lucky.
bigtimer, I just
Wed, 09/05/2007 - 17:46 ET by msh1973bigtimer,
I just responded to you on another thread. I hope all is well. You have been missed. Are you going to watch the debate? We don't have cable TV, so we will watch on FoxNews.com.
msh... I am going to
Wed, 09/05/2007 - 17:51 ET by bigtimermsh...
I am going to watch the debates for sure...I posted something about that on the OT towards the end.
..got to get a few things done around here first so will be out of here soon for awhile..
Btw...thank you so much for the kind words msh...sincerely.