But questions abound regarding the legality of many of the donations that helped propel him to victory.
An investigation by Newsmax correspondent Kenneth R. Timmerman hasuncovered numerous examples of questionable donations, including thoseoriginating from foreign sources in apparent violation of lawsforbidding candidates from accepting foreign money.
On Sept. 29, Timmerman first disclosed that more thanhalf of the $426.9 million Obama had raised at that point came fromsmall donors whose names the Obama campaign would not disclose — makingit impossible to verify that donors were not surpassing the $2,300 anindividual can contribute to a candidate for the general election.
The Federal Election Commission cited a seriesof $25 donations from a contributor identified as “Will, Good” fromAustin, Tex. A Newsmax analysis of the master file for the Obamacampaign discovered 1,000 separate entries for Mr. Good Will, totaling$17,375.
Similarly, a donor identified as “Pro, Doodad” gave $19,500in 786 separate donations. The donor listed his employer as “Loving”and his profession as “You.” Some of Doodad Pro’s donations wererefunded by the campaign, but as of Sept. 20 more than $11,000 had notbeen returned.
Timmerman disclosed that the FEC compiled a database of potentiallyquestionable overseas donations totaling $3.38 million. The funds camefrom such places as Abu Dhabi, Beijing, and Ethiopia.
In June, Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi gave a speech inwhich he claimed foreign nationals were contributing to Obama’scampaign.
Timmerman also reported that donors from the GazaStrip had contributed $33,000 to the Obama campaign through thepurchase of Obama T-shirts they had shipped to Gaza.
Timmerman published a new report on Oct. 8,disclosing that an investigation of Obama’s campaign finance reportsturned up more than 2,000 cases in which individuals made donations farabove the legal limit of $2,300 per election.
For example, in August the campaign filed a report listing asingle donation from a Debra Myers in “Rancho Palos Verde, Calif.,” for$28,500, and a $28,500 contribution from a donor identified as WoodrowMyers Jr.
The Obama campaign said it had refunded both donations on Sept. 30, the day after Newsmax published Timmerman’s first report
Source
2008-11-07