Aug 8, 2008 11:07 am US/Pacific
McCain Campaign Returns $50,000 To Calif. Donors
LOS ANGELES (CNS) ―
John McCain has decided to return about $50,000 in campaign contributions from California donors, some in the Southland, after media reports questioned how a businessman with a lucrative federal defense contract raised the money.
Harry Sargeant III, a prominent figure in the Florida Republican Party,
has raised about $500,000 for McCain's presidential bid. In 2004, his firm,
International Oil Trading Co., won a contract that has grown to $1 billion to supply petroleum to U.S. troops in Iraq.
The Washington Post was first to question Sargeant's donor network, some of whose members live in modest Inland Empire homes but gave as much as $4,600 each to McCain and other politicians. Some of the donors never donated to a political campaign before, and some are not registered to vote, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The McCain campaign sent letters Thursday explaining federal campaign
finance law to all donors whose contributions were solicited by Sargeant and his business partner, Mustafa Abu-Naba'a, believed to be a citizen of Jordan and the Dominican Republic. Only U.S. citizens can donate to federal campaigns, and the money must be their own. The letter said that if the contributions failed to meet these requirements, the donor should contact the campaign "immediately so that we can arrange a refund." But rather than wait, the campaign announced late Thursday it would refund money to 13 California donors who accounted for about $50,000.
"We're going to take the precautionary step of returning the contributions solicited by Mr. Abu-Naba'a," McCain spokesman Brian Rogers said in remarks quoted by The Times.
The Southland donors included residents of Downey, Colton and business
owners in Norwalk and Anaheim, according to published reports.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)
