(Katherine) Harris offers to return questionable donations (from MZM)

[Robbien]

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris is offering to refund thousands of dollars to her biggest donor in the 2004 campaign because the money may have been obtained illegally.

Harris, R-Longboat Key, received $50,000 in contributions from defense contracting firm MZM Inc., according to the nonprofit Center for Responsive Politics. Most of the money was contributed individually by employees of MZM, which has headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Recent news stories have quoted anonymous MZM workers complaining that they were pressured into giving money to the firm's political action committee. Such coercion violates federal campaign finance laws.

. . .

Harris said in an interview Tuesday that she has no idea if the campaign money she received was obtained illegally.

. . .

This isn't the first time donations to Harris have been questioned. In 1997, a Sarasota firm called Riscorp was at the center of a federal investigation into illegal contributions given to Harris during her 1994 campaign for the state Senate. Harris, who collected almost $30,000 from Riscorp, denied then any direct knowledge of the illegal contributions.

http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20050630&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=506300378&SectionCat=SPORTS&Template=printart

[WhiteTara]

1. MZM is the same company

the Cunningham is involved with? Send the bitch to jail.
:nopity:

[TahitiNut]

2. Yep. They're FILTHY.

They've bought and paid for Rep. Virgil Goode (R-VA), too.

[WhiteTara]

13. ooh! Let's out that F*r too! eom

[AlCzervik]

7. yup, how many more will there be?

MZM is gonna take Cunningham down----hopefully.

[Tempest]

3. Read her offer carefully

She's offering to return the contribution IF the company asks for it back.

Now what's the chance of that happening?

[Robbien]

4. MZM would not look favorably on any employee asking for his money back

Sounds like an empty gesture on Harris' part.

Also, didn't the news stories report that the candidate was there at MZM in person and the employees directly handed her the checks. Now she is claiming no knowledge the employees were forced to write the checks. Bah!

[maddezmom]

5. why offer, do the right thing and send it back

:shrug:

[Supersedeas]

6. ahhhh....gotta love the capital while ya can get it....apologize later

[Gunit_Sangh]

8. Check out what Josh Marshall

at talkingpointsmemo.com said about this

So I guess all these folks have to do is admit their involvement (even as a victim) in what I take it would be a felony and they can have their two or four grand back.

I bet she'll have a lot of takers.

[Cooley Hurd]

9. Here's the link to Josh's story:

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/week_2005_06_26.php#005920

<snip>
I didn't take that dreadful MZM money, did I?

The Sarasota Herald-Tribune reports today that Katherine Harris (R-Money) has offered to return the money that earlier reports suggest may have been coerced from MZM employees. This follows another story in the competitor paper, the Sun-Herald, which earlier reported Harris's place high atop the MZM love-list.
</snip>

More...

[Lochloosa]

10. Katherine Harris offers to return questionable donations

I hate that this bitch resides in my beloved Florida....heard from a maintenance man the other day that they still can not get the stain out of the chair that she used in 2000....

[DoYouEverWonder]

11. Has the former Secretary of the State of Florida

who was responsible for making sure politicians complied with election laws, Harris has no excuse.

[Supersedeas]

12. geee, wonder why Defense Contractors would be contribing to Corlia's camp