Two Republicans in Congress say they will return donations from former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort, but only if he is convicted of charges announced Monday by special counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating possible Trump election links to Russia.
Manafort and business partner Rick Gates were hit with a 12-count indictment alleging money laundering and other crimes related to their work for pro-Russia politicians in Ukraine before their association with Trump’s campaign.
Although the Manafort-Gates indictment paints a picture of an open-handed Manafort, spending $820,000 on landscaping in the Hamptons and $934,350 at a Virginia antique rug store, he hasn’t given much recently in direct contributions to congressional candidates.
Just two current members of the House of Representatives — Reps. Andy Harris, R-Md., and Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif. — and one current senator — Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. — received money from Manafort in the past decade, according to the OpenSecrets database of contribution filings.
Rohrabacher received $1,000 in March 2013, three days after the men had dinner at the Capitol Hill Club. Manafort previously contributed $1,000 to the long-serving congressman in 1997.
Harris received $500 in 2008 as he ran in his first campaign in Maryland’s 1st Congressional District. He lost that race, but won in a second try in 2010 and has been re-elected repeatedly since then.
Campaign spokeswoman Nicole Beus told the Washington Examiner she spoke with Harris on Thursday, and that he said he would donate the money to charity if Manafort is convicted. She said that he has no recollection of why Manafort donated.
“He has no recollection at all,” Beus said. “It was his first campaign … he had a lot of contributions and it was just one of those that came in.”
Asked if he, too, would pledge the money to charity if Manafort is convicted, Rohrabacher spokesman Ken Grubbs said “he made that pledge” to him.
“Be assured that is his position,” Grubbs told the Washington Examiner.
McCain spokeswoman Julie Tarallo did not respond to requests for comment on Manafort’s 2007 contribution of $2,300 as the senator sought the presidency.
Manafort also gave a total of $10,000 in 2006 and 2007 to Straight Talk America, a political action committee linked to the senator who built a “maverick” reputation denouncing the influence of money in politics.
Aside from donations to Trump, the only other Manafort contributions directly to federal candidates in the past decade went to failed Arizona congressional candidate Vernon Parker, the former mayor of Paradise Valley.
Manafort donated $2,400 to Parker in 2010 and $2,500 in 2012.
Parker, who could not be reached for comment, is known for successful direct-mail drives. During one election season he reportedly netted nearly $700,000 in donations, more than $200,000 of the haul after he dropped out.
Thus far, only the 2013 contribution to Rohrabacher has become a political issue.
Earlier this year, Rohrabacher defended that contribution, telling the Los Angeles Times earlier this year it was “modest” and saying it came after a dinner not focused on Manafort’s lobbying work.
The donation resurfaced Tuesday, with Reuters quoting one of Rohrabacher’s Democratic rivals, Hans Keirstead, demanding that he return the money. Grubbs told the wire: “The congressman advises his political opponents and the media to observe the presumption of innocence, still an American principle.”
