Still the media are cutting Democratic Florida Senate candidate Patrick Murphy a break, even when scary snippets about the guy turn up in the darndest places.
First a possible quid pro quo campaign violation in February, and now the multimillionaire hedge fund manager and congressman representing the Treasure Coast (CD 18) is connected to a federal straw donor investigation.
Nobody except the Senate Leadership Fund, a non-profit independent 527 political organization, is connecting the dots on DNC darling Murphy. But let's look at the latest. Please, I beg you, let's.
The Sacramento Bee reported Monday that Congressman Ami Bera’s father Babulal has been charged by the U.S. Attorney with soliciting straw donations for his son’s congressional campaigns and is likely to plead guilty.
The Bee reported this:
"The charges filed Monday night allege that, beginning in 2009, Bera contributors gave at least $235,000 to a campaign committee in Elk Grove, and that Babulal Bera later caused the contributions to be illegally refunded.
"Those contributors 'received full or partial reimbursements for their contributions in the form of funds that originated from the defendant (Babulal Bera), either from the defendant directly or through third parties working at the defendant’s behest,' court documents state.
"The charging document also alleges that Babulal Bera and his wife 'directly and indirectly solicited relatives, friends and acquaintances to make the maximum allowable federal campaign contributions' to a campaign committee, 'knowing that his personal money would be used to advance funds to, or reimburse these individuals for the contributions they made.'
"This was designed, according to the charging document, to avoid limitations federal law imposes on the amount an individual is allowed to give a congressional candidate in a single election cycle."
What does this have to do with Patrick Murphy? Glad you asked.
First, Patrick Murphy’s Senate campaign received $5,000 from Babulal on June 27, 2015. So will Murphy return this tainted cash?
Second, in 2014 the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the Murphy family and the Bera family were involved in a controversial donor swap scheme. Specifically, Babulal donated $5,200 to Murphy and, in return, Patrick’s mother Leslie Murphy donated $5,200 to Ami Bera.
Lastly, and perhaps coincidentally, Ami Bera’s campaign manager in 2012 is currently managing Patrick Murphy’s Senate campaign.
Neither Murphy nor a campaign spokesperson returned my calls Wednesday.
Said Ian Prior, Senate Leadership Fund spokesman who is the Javert in Murphy's Jean Valjean portrayal -- the only soul I know keeping close tabs on the Senate candidate: “Once again, Patrick Murphy’s shady campaign finances are coming into question. Not only has he taken thousands from a criminal defendant who has been federally charged with soliciting straw donations, but Murphy’s own parents were involved in a shady donor swap scheme with the accused.”
The Senate Leadership Fund describes its mission as seeking to educate voters and empower citizens to hold lawmakers and office-seekers accountable for where they stand.
Incidentally, Prior did the research on this story. Follow the links, check it out for yourself. Prior tells me he will not let it go -- something for which Florida voters should be grateful.
Reach Nancy Smith at nsmith@sunshinestatenews.com or at 228-282-2423. Twitter: @NancyLBSmith
