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Kline, Kennedy will redistribute donations called 'tainted cash' by opponents
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| Contributor | Eric |
| Last Edited | Eric Dec 03, 2005 03:15pm |
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| Category | News |
| Media | Newspaper - Star Tribune, The (Minneapolis - St. Paul) |
| News Date | Saturday, December 3, 2005 09:00:00 PM UTC0:0 |
| Description | WASHINGTON - Minnesota Reps. John Kline and Mark Kennedy will donate as much as $14,000 in campaign funds to charity to offset funds they received from California Congressman Randy (Duke) Cunningham, their aides said Thursday.
Cunningham pleaded guilty this week to taking $2.4 million in bribes.
The two Minnesotans acted after three fellow Republicans said they would give away their donations from Cunningham's leadership political action committee, and after the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) pressed them to surrender the "tainted cash."
Republicans, in turn, chided the DCCC for failing to return $29,500 it got in 2003 and 2004 from a former North Carolina Democrat sentenced to four years in jail in October for misusing taxpayer money.
Kline's and Kennedy's decisions are the latest examples of how recent congressional corruption cases are creating awkward appearances for members of Congress. Mike Osskopp, Kline's district director, said it was "reasonable for someone to question whether some of the money that went into Duke's PAC came from the same people who were involved in giving the bribes."
Kline's campaigns received $1,000 in 2000 and at least $5,000 in 2002 from Cunningham's PAC, Federal Election Commission records show. Osskopp said that Kline may have received another $5,000 and that whichever figure proves accurate, "that amount ... will be donated to charity."
Kennedy, who is running for the Senate, will return $3,000 he got in 2002 and 2004 from Cunningham's PAC because Cunningham is "an admitted felon," campaign spokeswoman Heidi Fredrickson said. |
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