Talking heads in the mainstream media have been trumpeting the fact that Senator Barack Obama raised much of his campaign funds from 12 million small donors via the Internet, implying that the Harvard-educated lawyer is tapping a deep well of popular support on Main Street. But there is mounting evidence that many of Obama’s supporters may not be small – or even legal. Kenneth Timmerman reports on NewsMax that the Obama campaign refuses to identify individual donors who funded nearly half of the Illinois Democrat’s $454 million warchest. These unknown supporters include a “Good Will” from Austin, Texas who listed his employer as “Loving” and his profession as “You.” Mr. Good Will donated $17,375 in more than 1,000 separate credit card transactions, most for $25 a pop. One of Mr. Good Will’s colleagues at Loving, a “Doodad Pro” from “Nando, NY,” who coincidentally also works as a “You” at “Loving” – donated $19,500 in 786 separate credit card transactions.
Federal election law, which limits an individual donor’s total contribution to $2,300 per general election, also requires campaign treasurers to report “the name and address of any person who makes a contribution, or contributions aggregating more than $200 during a calendar year, together with the date and amount of any such contribution.” So the Obama camp’s refusal to identify “Good Will” and “Doodad Pro” appears to be illegal.
Even more troubling are some 11,500 Obama contributions, totalling nearly $34 million, that may have come from overseas. Atlas Shrugs blogger Pamela Geller first reported that that two Palestinian brothers living in a refugee camp controlled by Hamas somehow managed to come up with more than $31,300 to buy Obama tee shirts in bulk from the candidate’s online store. The FEC has reportedly asked Obama’s campaign to “redesignate” or refund some 53,828 questionable donations – including those that may have come from foreigners in violation of federal law.
Sorry, that’s not good enough. The Illinois Democrat has flooded the presidential race with the largest amount of un-sourced cash ever seen in a U.S. election. Only a fool would trust that it’s all legitimate. John McCain has already posted his complete donor database online, including supporters’ full names, addresses and occupations. Obama should immediately do the same. In the most expensive and perhaps most important election in U.S. history, voters have the right to a full financial disclosure from both presidential candidates before Election Day.
