Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe has cancelled a scheduled appearance at an early June fundraiser for former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland amid a federal investigation into campaign donations from McAuliffe’s 2013 gubernatorial campaign.
The Virginia Democrat was set to highlight a fundraiser on June 2 in Clintonville, Ohio, for Strickland, who is running to unseat incumbent GOP Sen. Rob Portman in November. The fundraiser is hosted by former Ohio House Rep. John Patrick Carney, and is looking for donations of $250.
“Governor McAuliffe will no longer be attending this event,” Strickland spokesman David Bergstein said in a statement.
Federal investigators are currently looking into donations made by Wang Wenliang, a Chinese national with residency in the United States. An American company owned by Wang made $120,000 in donations to McAuliffe, a top surrogate for the Clinton campaign.
Wang also was a big contributor to the Clinton Foundation, and gave $2 million to the group. McAuliffe himself was a board member of the Clinton Global Initiative, which is part of the charitable group set up by former President Bill Clinton.
McAuliffe has denied any wrongdoing.
Strickland has lagged well behind in fundraising since announcing his campaign almost a year ago. Portman currently has five times as much cash on hand ($13.4 million) than Strickland ($2.7 million). Strickland’s initial goal was to raise upwards of $20 million.
“Not only did Ted Strickland refuse to hold China accountable for unfair trade practices and give a $4 million taxpayer-funded loan to a now-bankrupt company with a Chinese factory, Ted’s now been forced to cancel a fundraiser with a governor under FBI investigation for his ties to a Chinese company,” Portman spokeswoman Michawn Rich said in a statement. “It’s clear Ted Strickland is willing to do or say anything to raise money for his failing campaign — until the public finds out about it.”
