Stanford Filthy Lucre Stays Out of Democrats’ Hands

Democrats are falling over each other in a mad scramble to return Sir R. Allen Stanford’s – or his employees’ – campaign contributions. Either that or donate them to charity.

And so Senator Bill Nelson (D - Fla) announced yesterday that he is donating the $45,900 that he got to the Jacksonville charity Dignity U Wear. Then word came that the lawyers that are assigned to recoup losses from the Stanford $8 billion fraud case are asking lawmakers to return the funds to them.

Congressman Barney Frank has also pledged that he will return the $1000 he received from Stanford, but says that first he will try to return the funds directly to those who were scammed by Stanford.

President Barack Obama will donate the $4600 Stanford’s PAC sent him to the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless.

Senator John McCain, the maverick, says he is also donating all of his Stanford PAC contributions to charity.

So is Senator Chris Dodd. To the tune of $27,500.

Rep. Charles Rangel was among the high-powered recipients and promised to donate a total of $10,800 from his political action committee to charity.

But Texas Senator John Cornyn has different ideas. Cornyn, it will be remembered, received a direct campaign donation of $2000 from Sir R. Allen, and benefited from a 4-day paid holiday on Antigua, and this junket was sponsored by Stanford to the tune of $7441.

At first, the Senator wasn’t going to do anything about this tainted money. The senator sent a spokesman to tell the press that the senator still believed in the presumption of innocence. He later backpedaled, probably when he saw all the action going on across the aisle, and volunteered that he would give $4000 to charity.

$4000?

OK excluding the money from the PAC, excluding the money from Stanford’s employees, the senator is still into Stanford’s pocket to the tune of $9441, more than double what he says he wants to donate.

Rep. Pete Sessions of TX-32 has no intention of returning the $41,000 he received from Stanford and his PAC and associates.

Sessions spokesperson:

“‘Pete is looking down in his palms and he sees $41,000 and he says, 'Can I put this in my pocket, or do I have to give it back?' And to anyone — including Pete Sessions — $41,000 is enough money that he wants to just think about it’”

Oh, and what about my congressman? Pete Olson? What have we heard from Pete Olson’s people regarding his retention of Stanford’s drug money?

Crickets.