Earlier in the fall, after Tom DeLay was indicted (twice), a series of his Republican colleagues announced they wouldn’t keep campaign contributions the former Majority Leader had given them. In all, four House Republicans — Reps. Jeb Bradley (N.H.), Heather Wilson (N.M.), Kenny Hulshof (Mo.), and Steven LaTourette (Ohio) — either gave back what they saw as DeLay’s “tainted” money or donated it to charity.
But if DeLay’s money is tainted, what should we call ex-Rep. Duke Cunningham’s money?
In New Jersey, my friend Nathan and his “Blue 7th PAC” insisted that Rep. Mike Ferguson had no business keeping a contribution from a disgraced former lawmaker. Even better yet, it worked.
Less than 24 hours after Blue 7th PAC demanded that Congressman Mike Ferguson return a $1000 contribution he received from disgraced Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham, the Inside Edge is reporting that he will contribute the money to a charity.
Congressman Michael Ferguson plans to contribute the $1,000 campaign contribution he received from corrupt ex-Congressman Duke Cunningham to an in-district charity. Cunningham resigned his House seat yesterday after admitting that he took $2.4 million in bribes. Blue 7th PAC, a group that is seeking to oust Ferguson next year, called for the return of the Cunningham contribution yesterday.
It may be part of a trend. In Connecticut, Rep. Rob Simmons (R), who received $9,000 from Friends of Duke Cunningham, announced that he too will donate that amount to a local charity.
That’s two, do I hear three? It looks like there are about two dozen other Republicans in Washington — including someone named George W. Bush — who received generous donations from Cunningham in recent election cycles. Do they plan to follow Ferguson’s and Simmons’ lead?