Fortenberry got $30,000 from illegal foreign donor; spokesman points out he wasn't charged

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Omaha World Herald

By Paul Hammel

LINCOLN -- A spokesman for Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, R-Neb., on Monday tamped down a report that the congressman was facing federal prosecution in connection with illegal campaign donations provided by a Lebanese-Nigerian billionaire.

In March, the U.S. Justice Department announced its settlement with the billionaire, Gilbert Chagoury, over his efforts going back to 2012 to provide illegal "conduit" contributions to the political campaigns of four U.S. Congress members, including Fortenberry and former Rep. Lee Terry, R-Neb.

Donations from foreigners to American campaigns are illegal. Chagoury, a Paris resident, paid a $1.8 million fine as part of the settlement over $180,000 in contributions, of which $30,200 went to Fortenberry's 2016 campaign and $10,000 to Terry's 2014 run.

Chad Kolton, a Fortenberry spokesman, said the congressman began fundraising this summer for an expected legal defense prompted by an FBI investigation into the donations.



The website Axios reported Monday that Nebraska Rep. Jeff Fortenberry had set up a new fundraising page for a legal expense fund related to an investigation of an alleged campaign-related offense. The fundraising page was quickly removed, the website reported. This image of that Facebook fundraising page was captured from a web archive. A Fortenberry spokesman said the congressman "never saw or approved" the language used on the fundraising post.

Read more: https://omaha.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/spokesman-pushes-back-on-report-that-fortenberry-is-facing-federal-prosecution/article_175c65ce-2522-11ec-bc89-e3ba9b291673.html#tracking-source=home-top-story-1

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I had to update the headline!

[viva la]

1. Wait, so his own spokesman is saying

he's fundraising off this, and it's not true?

These grifters have no shame.

[Calista241]

2. All he has to do is return the $30k probably. Politicians are returning money all the time

for various reasons. returning only gives them the excuse to raise more.

[Slammer]

7. foreigners

Yeah, I don't really see the problem if he's returning the money.

The first Obama presidential campaign accepted credit card donations from credit cards which were issued by foreign banks. That raised objections because one of the ways at the time that presidential campaigns screened out donations by foreigners was to not accept donations from credit cards which were issued by foreign banks.

The Obama campaign, correctly, pointed out that Americans who had dual citizenship or who spent a significant amount of time abroad could easily get credit cards issued through foreign banks rather than US banks. And that the campaign, as required, posted notifications that it didn't accept donations from foreigners and promptly returned any donations which were given inappropriately.

For this guy to get in trouble for a foreign donation, he must have kept the money after finding out the donor was a foreigner and/or continued to solicit money from him after finding out he was a foreigner.

[Budi]

3. He fell for the Nigerian email??!!

[Champp]

4. Another Republican CornGrifter

[marble falls]

5. He hasn't been charged, yet. Yet, being the operative word.

[FBaggins]

6. No particular reason to expect that he would be

My understanding is that the illegal donor was caught passing funds through a "conduit" who wouldn't show up as an inappropriate source for a donation.

In that case, the candidate would just have to return the funds. There wouldn't be anything to "charge".