Wednesday, September 05, 2007

The Hsu scandal just might stick.

Amazing really. The Hillary machine usually has a way of making these things seem trivial and the media accommodates. But since Hsu has jumped bail, the story has some legs.

Let's summarize for all of you needing to catch up on this story. Stephen Spruiell wraps it up nicely:

"Last week the Los Angeles Times reported that a major Democratic fundraiser named Norman Hsu was a wanted fugitive in California (he pleaded guilty to grand-theft charges in 1992 and subsequently disappeared). Hsu has since returned to California to face sentencing, and Hillary has given the nearly $23,000 she received in contributions from Hsu to charity. Unfortunately for her, that’s not the end of the story. The Wall Street Journal reported last week that Hsu might have been involved in an illegal plot to reimburse a Bay Area family for tens of thousands of dollars in donations he “bundled” for them and gave to Clinton’s campaign. The FBI is reportedly investigating the matter, but so far her campaign has not divested these funds. Her husband told reporters in New Hampshire Sunday, “If the other people say they gave the money of their own accord then I think she should keep it.”

But....as The Campaign Spot reports, Hsu skipping bail might mean a reminder to America of all the shady fundraising deals of the Clinton's (renting the Lincoln bedroom out and the like):

"If Team Hillary was hoping for the story of Norman Hsu and the fundraising shenanigans to go away... they won't. Not with developments like this:

Democratic fundraiser Norman Hsu failed to appear Wednesday for a bail hearing and a judge issued a new warrant for his arrest.

Hsu forfeits the $2 million bail he posted last week.

Hsu's lawyer said he doesn't know where his client is.

UPDATE: Some awesome gumshoe (gumHsu? Wearing out the Hsu leather?) reporting from Phil Klein, who notes:

In campaign finance reports, Hsu's companies are listed as: Next Components Ltd., Cool Planets Ltd., Because Men's Clothes, and Dilini Management. But none of the companies have online footprints or appear in fashion industry directories that I have searched. The only official recognition of any of these companies that I have found is Next Components, in the form of a filing for a certificate of corporation with the New York Department of State, Division of Corporations — but even that doesn't hold up to closer scrutiny. The filing was from May 6, 2005, and when I called the Division of Corporations, a representative there told me that the filing needed to be renewed every two years for a fee of $9, but Next Components never responded to the renewal notice.

The filing lists 561 Seventh Ave., Suite 1301 as the address for Next Components, but I called Handro Properties, the management company that runs the building, and was told that not only have they never heard of Next Components, but "Suite 1301" doesn't even exist.

Klein finds that Hsu's listed home addresses in FEC forms don't check out, either. Something here stinks to high heaven.

Could Hsu have bolted to Hong Kong? Well, I know one thing. One shouldn't hang around with the Clinton's mad at you. The long arm of the law isn't nearly as brutal as the long arm of Hillary.