Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat with ties to Hillary Clinton and her husband, is undergoing an investigation by the FBI and prosecutors from the Justice Department’s public integrity unit scrutinizing donations to his gubernatorial campaign, according to a report.
The investigation has been going on for at least a year and McAuliffe wasn’t notified he was a target of the probe, CNN reported. Marc Elias, who formerly served as general counsel to Hillary Clinton’s campaign, said the governor would “certainly cooperate” if needed.
As a part of the investigation, officials are looking into McAuliffe’s time as a board member on the Clinton Global Initiative and the electoral campaign donations he received while on the board. Other donations of interest include a $120,0000 campaign contribution from Chinese businessman Wan Wenliang, a former delegate to China’s National People’s Congress and a top Clinton Foundation donor.
While federal election law prevents foreign nations from donating to U.S. elections, Wang holds permanent U.S. resident status, making the donations legal. Neither Wang nor his company used to make the donations have been contacted by U.S. investigators, but the investigation remains ongoing.
McAuliffe is a strong supporter of Clinton’s 2016 campaign and has often appeared on the primary trail with her. He is also the second consecutive Virginia governor to be investigated by the Justice Department and the FBI, as Republican former Gov. Bob McDonnell was convicted of corruption charges in 2014 for $175,000 worth of loans and gifts he received from a donor.
Presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump donated money to McAuliffe’s campaign.
