Hillary to Repay $850K From Hsu

(NEWSER) - Norman Hsu is a man of many hats, but the Hillary Clinton fundraiser extraordinaire, Ponzi schemer, and onetime fugitive has been sentenced to wear them in prison for the next 24 years. While significantly less than the 30 years prosecutors had asked for, Hsu’s lawyer tells the Wall Street Journal that his client plans an appeal. Though Hsu has admitted guilt, he says the prosecution inflated the size of his Ponzi scheme, which is taken into consideration when sentencing. More»

Reticent donors make mountain of liabilities difficult to pay off

(NEWSER) - Hillary Clinton lent her suspended presidential campaign an additional $1 million at the end of last month, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission. The newest self-loan—the New York senator has now lent herself $13.2 million—underscores how much difficulty she is facing in retiring her mountain of debt. A Clinton spokesman told the New York Times that the new loan was to "pay immediately outstanding debts." More»

New York governor's proposal prompted furor, dive in polls

(NEWSER) - New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer is giving up on the plan to offer driver's licenses to illegal immigrants that drew a firestorm of criticism. “I am not willing to fight to the bitter end on something that will not ultimately be implemented,” he told the New York Times. The proposal became a hot-button issue in presidential candidate forums and caused Spitzer's popularity to plunge. More»

Candidates’ biggest spenders launder money and break laws

(NEWSER) - "Bundlers"—political fundraisers who solicit other donors to give—are a standard feature of the presidential race, and many remain favored by major campaigns despite unethical and even illegal conduct. The Post spotlights questionable rainmakers in the Norman Hsu scandal aftermath, including one Hillary donor who gave $160,000 and a country-club membership to a Bill appointee’s son. More»

Hsu didn't show for Cali court appearance

(NEWSER) - Renegade Democratic donor Norman Hsu was tracked down by the FBI in Colorado last night after skipping town again—he failed to show up in Bay Area court Wednesday for a bail-reduction hearing in connection with his 15-year-old felony theft case. The FBI charged him with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution; once Hsu is in custody in California, the federal charges against him will be dropped, the AP reports. More»