Democratic Fundraiser Turns Himself In

(CBS/AP)  A top Democratic fundraiser wanted as a fugitive in California turned himself in Friday to face a grand theft charge.

San Mateo County Superior Court Judge H. James Ellis ordered Norman Hsu handcuffed and held on $2 million bond. A bail hearing was scheduled for Sept. 5, at which the judge will consider reducing his bail to $1 million.

Hsu appeared in court accompanied by a lawyer and publicist, both of whom declined to say whether the New York apparel executive would immediately post bail. A warrant was issued for his arrest after he skipped the sentencing for a 1991 grand theft charge.

In the ensuing years, Hsu became a top donor to numerous Democratic candidates, including presidential contenders Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama.

After reports surfaced this week of Hsu's fugitive status in California, Clinton joined other candidates in returning thousands of dollars he raised, but the allegations distracted her campaign just as it prepared to ramp up for the intense post-Labor Day stretch.

Senator Clinton's campaign christened Hsu a "Hill-raiser" for all the money he generates, reports CBS News correspondent Sandra Hughes. But the campaign announced Wednesday it would return $23,000 in contributions that Hsu made to her presidential and senatorial campaigns and to HillPac.

On Thursday, Obama's campaign said he would give to charity the $2,000 Hsu contributed to his 2004 Senate campaign and the $5,000 Hsu gave to his political action committee, Hopefund. Hsu's $43,700 in donations to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and $2,500 to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee also will go to charity, both groups announced Thursday.

Sens. Edward Kennedy and John Kerry, both of Massachusetts, also planned to turn over Hsu's contributions to charity. Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein of California; Al Franken, a Senate candidate in Minnesota; Reps. Michael Honda and Doris Matsui of California; and Rep. Joe Sestak of Pennsylvania also said they would divest Hsu's contributions.

Hsu has an apparel business in New York and was a trustee in the city's New School.

In a statement Wednesday, Hsu said: "I believe I properly resolved all of the legal issues related to my bankruptcy in the early 1990s. Therefore, I was surprised to learn that there appears to be an outstanding warrant - as demonstrated by the fact that I have and do live a public life. I have not sought to evade any of my obligations and certainly not the law."

[realpatriot1]

mkiosduece,

I said that neither party, including other republicans, has ever taken it to the extreme that Bush has of keeping score by industry than delivering on the corruption.

I made it clear that I wasn''t exonerating Clinton or democrats; I think I made that far more clear than you and others made it, at least initially, that you weren''t only attacking democrats and didn''t give a pass to republicans.

That perceived one-sided view is what I was responding to, but now you''ve clarified your view
and I respect it.

I don''t think the problem will go away if the dems get the White House, particularly if it''s Clinton. I do think the corruption will be noticeably less no matter which candidate wins, republican or democrat because i personally believe Bush to be that much more corrupt than any politician before.

I hope I''m right, but who knows.

[mkioskduece]

realpatriot ..,

do you think Bush is the only president to kick back favors?

Lincoln bedroom come to mind?

NAFTA?

Again, missile tech to the Chinese?

My point isn''t that Bush isn''t bad, it''s that thinking he''s worse than the Democrats is just ignorant, biased thinking.

Do you think (D) candidates don''t check the industries, either?

Which makes one wonder how Hsu''s money got into so many different coffers, and no one ... ahem .. knew (?!).

Face it, man. The Dems got caught with their hands in the cookie jar, and everyone''s trying to spin it away, and the MSM is more than happy to help them.

The crooks hide on both sides of the aisles, not just on the right.

Even if a Dem gets the WH, things won''t get better. The excuses will just get much more colorful.

[realpatriot1]

mkioskduece,

I didn''t say that any light was shining on the Clintons. The examples you gave, whether true or not have nothing to do with them trying to deliver political favors to doners. I have no doubt that they did do that it some instances, but Bush did take it to a previously unprecedented level not seen by either party.

The Bush campaign admitted to reporters during the 2000 election that they tracked their campaign contributions by industry to see how much each group was giving them. Why do you suppose they did that?

Look at the relaxation of regulations on various industries who were generous to his campaign and you''ll have the answer.

[mkioskduece]

I do like how all of the "major" news outlets are going out of their way to bury this story, though.

Nope. There''s no MSM bias, here.

Beat the dead horse which is Craig (though, he does deserve to be beaten), but let Hill and the DNC slide.

Thanks CBS for allowing us only to read the news that YOU think is important.

No wonder no one listens to the Big 3 networks, any more.

[realpatriot1]

S-Temper,

That''s true, he might be attempting to gain influence for the Chinese government. That''s what is also a major concern about not having public financing.

Look at the influence that AIPAC and the Israeli lobby has in both political parties because of the fundraising that goes into Presidential and Congressioanl campaigns. We have an Australian, Rupert Murdoch establishing a virtual media monopoly among political opinion-making outlets.

We''ll never rid our politics of slimy money and the politicians who love it, but we can at least level the playing field for the one''s who would like to be honest and look out for the public interest by demanding public financing of federal elections.

[mkioskduece]

"Did the Clintons sell out to the oil & gas, pharmacuetical, insurance, mortgage, and utilities industries like Bush has? I don''''t think so."

Oh, no ... the Clinton''s just coughed up missle tech to the Chinese, nuke tech to the Norks; blew up baby food factories.

Nothing to see here. Bush is horrible while the light of Heaven shines on Bill and Hill.

[realpatriot1]

S_Temper,

Hillary has been financed by criminals for years. So has George Bush. Guliani''s South Carolina campaign chair was indicted on cocaine trafficing.

Hillary doesn''t have a monopoly on being pursued by shady characters with money and a less than steller agaenda. What matters is what does the money buy?

Did the Clintons sell out to the oil & gas, pharmacuetical, insurance, mortgage, and utilities industries like Bush has? I don''t think so.

[dougfromupla]

Sept. 7 - oral arguments in California Appellate Court for Los Angeles civil trial of Paul v Clinton. Hillary will soon be under oath. This trial is going to finally expose the greatest campaign finance fraud in history. Paul has several hours of home video of Hillary. She turned in a false declaration to the court. Many of her inner circle will be deposed in the case. hillcap.org www.ejfa.org

[realpatriot1]

My, aren''t the republicans on here holier than thou! Has Bush returned any of the money he got from Ken Lay?

A typical republican move would be to take the money and when caught to keep the money and blame the liberal media and the democrats for playing politics.

[xlib]

If clinton were still in he would be pardoned. Maybe marc rich has a spot for him in Switzerland and he can work for the dems from there. How''s that sound?