Chris Donovan Roundup: Campaign contribution quotables
A once seemingly, although not guaranteed, Democrat seat is suddenly in play for Republicans and its all the Democrats doing. The Feds are investigating the questionable handling of campaign contributions to a very liberal Democrat and the State House Speaker Christopher Donovan, who wants to replace very liberal Democrat 5th District Congressman Chris Murphy.
The rub in this case is that the Feds also seem to be investigating whether contributions bought a a piece of legislation. All links come from CTCAPITOLREPORT. Thumbnail from ctmirror.com.
The finance director for House Speaker Christopher G. Donovan’s congressional campaign was arrested Wednesday by FBI agents and charged with illegally concealing the source of two $10,000 contributions for his campaign, authorities said Thursday.Donovan fired the fundraiser, Robert Braddock Jr., and his campaign manager, Josh Nassi, and hired Tom Swan of the Connecticut Citizen Action Group to take over his campaign just 10 weeks from the Democratic primary on Aug. 14.
“I want to start off and say unequivocally Chris did nothing wrong, and if I thought for one second there was a question about that, I wouldn’t be standing here today,” said Swan, who took a leave of absence as executive director of the Connecticut Citizen Action Group to run the campaign.Swan announced a third firing: Sara Waterfall, the deputy finance director. The campaign wanted “a clean slate” in its fundraising, he said.
The prosecution affidavit filed in U.S. District Court asserts that, in early April, the FBI was secretly recording “CC-1” talking with an undercover agent about disguising the source of contributions — purportedly from some tobacco retailers — to Donovan’s congressional campaign. Three weeks later, the affidavit shows, the FBI had confronted “CC-1” about the conversations and persuaded him to cooperate by allowing them to record his conversations about additional illegal contributions with members of Donovan’s campaign staff.
Though Donovan remains uncharged, this FBI sting may nevertheless bring down a guy who forged his career on keeping behind-the-scenes money out of politics. … Instead, we have a Nixonian Speaker whose top aide says he has chosen not to talk until “the right time.”The right time may have passed him by.
“Chris Donovan should speak for himself whether or not he is guilty of corruption,” Bernier said in a statement released just minutes after the conclusion of the presser. “Hiding behind staff shows a real lack of courage by this candidate. If Chris Donovan cannot answer questions about his own campaign and his own votes, then he has no business representing the people of the 5th District in Congress.”
Despite the media feeding frenzy over the federal investigation into campaign contribution irregularities, Donovan, a Democratic candidate for Congress in the 5th district, showed up as scheduled at the CT Fair Housing Award dinner to receive, interestingly enough, the Edward M. Kennedy Legislative Advocacy Award. And while he may have been down by that point of the day, peeps there gave him a standing ovation
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What a slimeball…won’t face the press (which probably wouldn’t have held his feet to the fire in any event), but goes to get AN AWARD! The noive!
Even Goo Goo Green says that Donovan blew it. But no Demorat has a smidgen of morals & he’ll lie his way back in,like draft-dodger Blumingidiot,Susie Byyourleavewicz,Fig Newton & Lawless Lawton. Corrupticut stinks to high Heavens.
I totally agree, with Ricbee!
Corrupticut
It’s telling that gov Dan’l P. (D-CT) would immediately distance himself from Donovan. His SEIU community organizer roots and five years as the House Chair of Labor and Public Employee Committee is coming to haunt him. Union cozy.
Influence peddling ($$$$$) by a politician, especially this current crop of Democrats, is the norm. Some of the local media will huff and puff, but this will quickly be forgotten.
Corrupticut. (Nothing changes but always costs more)
Do not forget that Ct is “the land of steady habits”. We’ve all said it corruption, and he will still get elected.
I am left wondering whose toes Donovan stepped on for this to even be reported.
Per the NYT Swan said that Donovan is hiring Stan Twardy, a?VERY hooked-in, expensive lawyer. He is taking this seriously. ??
As reported, Twardy is already hired and hooked in. He is a former U. S. Attorney (1985-1991) and was the campaign manager for Chris Shays after Shays’ campaign finance manager was arrested on embezzlement charges.
Mr. Twardy seems to have some experience smoothing out the way on the Federal level. There is some buzz that this is all related to the roll-your-own-cigarette tax bill (big dollars at stake) crafted by the CT Senate and needing House and Donovan’s approval to move forward.
The plot thickens.
If he is innocent Donovan is in a rather difficult spot with his silence seemingly bolstering the perception of his guilt on one hand yet he’s probably being advised to say as little as possible by legal counsel on the other.? I do not like his politics and I confess that a part of me wants to see his career taken down by this but frankly it would be better if the facts as they are be the determining factor in the outcome…. though this isn’t exactly flattering to his perceived judgement of character in selecting a campaign finance director but I cannot comment as though I don’t make mistakes myself- though my obscure identity means that they won’t be subject to the same scrutiny as a politician’s foibles….
He has scheduled a press conference today… it will be interesting to read into the anticipated care he takes negotiating a rhetorical minefield before a press and media that has shown itself to be forgiving to most libs.? Perhaps they’ll throw him under the proverbial bus to “prove” how objective they are? (suppresses laughter)
LOL, On the one hand, on the other hand,on the other hand. How many hands do you have?
Exhausted minds tend to lose count
Ha, I know what you mean!
Hey!? Are you guys trying to copy Massachusetts???? Our last three consecutive Speakers have been convicted of felonies (what is that about repeating the same thing over and over again?).?
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Need I add they are all Democrats?
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Why don’t you copy things like lower fuel prices?? 😉
I think RI has taught us all a lot too. And there as prices are better than CT’s.
Sorry still getting used to the I-Pad. ?Their gas prices…..
Get the Bluetooth keyboard of you want to do anything productive on a tablet.? From one who knows!
I can’t wait to be able to get out of this over regulated, overtaxed state! And I think that’s sad, because the state is really beautiful. Got to say, the weather sucks! But what sucks even more? This blue, blue government! Nice job putting all the owners and employees of the roll your own tobacco stores out of business this fall! You Slimeball!