The Obama campaign, clearing its decks in advance of turning up the ethics and transparency heat on Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) released a list of federal donors who were solicited to give by Tony Rezko, on trial in a Chicago courtroom on federal corruption charges. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), speaking to the Chicago Sun-Times on Friday was asked if he kept a bundler list for his 2004 Senate campaign. Bundlers are people who use their personal networks to raise money for a candidate. Most major campaigns do keep track of bundlers, in order to stroke and cultivate their most active fund-raisers.
Q: And for the Obama ’04 campaign, did you keep a bundler list?
A: No
Q: Is that unusual?
A: Keep in mind that Tony raised money for me primarily in the primary. That was really when he was most active. And we started with eight people. It was a real stretch just to raise the first $250,000.
Tony Rezko wasn’t involved primarily in bundling. We’ve kept track of who our bundlers are, and we disclose them. That’s been a routine practice since I’ve been in the U.S. Senate.
This from Obama presidential campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt..
Below is a list of contributions to Barack Obama’s federal campaigns that we determined could by reasonably credited to Mr. Rezko’s political support.
This list is provided to respond to requests for a detailed accounting and it is not in any way meant to suggest questions or concerns about the specific individuals identified. Their contributions are included because they could be credited to Mr. Rezko’s efforts on behalf of the campaign. The campaign has concluded in these circumstances that it should not retain these funds, and it has donated them to charity.
The focus of our concern was the June 30, 2003, fundraiser that Tony Rezko held for Obama’s Senate campaign because that occurred during the period of time in which he is now accused of wrongdoing. So we made the decision to give away the money that we could determine had been raised for that event or by him for the Senate race. And this is the bulk of the money that Mr. Rezko raised for Obama overall.
CONTRIBUTIONS DONATED TO CHARITY
Rezko
Antoin
9/1/1999
$1,000
Abboud
Anthony
3/27/2000
$850
Abboud
Anthony
6/30/2003
$500
Abboud
Anthony
3/5/2004
$250
Abboud
Anthony
6/25/2004
$1,000
Abdalla
Mustafa
6/30/2003
$1,000
Abruzzo
Steven
6/30/2003
$1,000
Almanaseer
Imad
3/12/2004
$1,000
Almanaseer
Imad
5/24/2004
$2,000
Aramanda
Joseph
3/17/2000
$1,000
Aramanda
Joseph
6/30/2003
$500
Aramanda
Joseph
3/5/2004
$10,000
Arons
Jennifer Shaxted
3/17/2000
$1,000
Ata
Ali
6/30/2003
$5,000
Barta
James
6/30/2003
$2,000
Butler
Velma
6/30/2003
$1,000
Cacciatore
Joseph
6/30/2003
$1,000
Cari
Joseph
5/16/2003
$335
Cari
Joseph
12/5/2003
$1,000
Carriglio
Jack
6/30/2003
$1,000
Chaib
Al
6/30/2003
$5,000
Cherry
Myron
7/27/2004
$500
Chipparoni
Guy
6/30/2003
$2,000
Di Benedetto
Vincent
6/30/2003
$10,000
Farahati
Mandan
6/30/2003
$2,000
Fishman
Judi
12/31/2002
$1,000
Fishman
Judi
12/31/2002
$500
Glennon
John
1/8/2004
$1,000
Gustman
Lisa
6/30/2003
$1,000
Hatchett-Polk
Bernice
12/31/2002
$1,000
Hatchett-Polk
Bernice
3/31/2003
$500
King Dibble
Kelly
6/30/2003
$250
Lannen
Kathy
6/30/2003
$2,500
Lavin
John
4/4/2005
$300
Licata
Anthony
10/8/2004
$1,000
Mahru
Daniel
3/17/2000
$1,000
Mahru
Daniel
3/5/2004
$5,000
Malek
Michel
6/30/2003
$10,000
Malek
Michel
9/15/2003
$500
Maloof
Elie G.
3/17/2000
$1,000
Maloof
Elie
12/30/2003
$10,000
Massuda
Fortunee
1/26/2004
$2,000
Mesi
Philip
6/30/2003
$2,000
Mesi
Philip
12/31/2003
$10,000
Mesi
Philip
6/10/2005
$1,000
Morgan
Craig
3/5/2004
$10,000
Nammari
Suheil
6/30/2003
$2,000
Othman
Talat
6/30/2003
$1,000
Pollock
Martello
6/30/2003
$1,000
Ray
Paul
12/31/2002
$1,000
Ray
Paul
6/30/2003
$3,000
Ray
Paul
10/6/2003
$2,000
Rezko
Rita
9/1/1999
$1,000
Rezko
Aboud
12/31/2002
$1,000
Rezko
Aboud
12/31/2002
$500
Rezko
Rita
12/31/2002
$500
Rezko
Rita
12/31/2002
$1,000
Rezko
Antoin
12/31/2002
$1,000
Rezko
Antoin
3/31/2003
$500
Rezko
Antoin
10/3/2003
$10,000
Rosenberg
Thomas
6/23/2004
$2,000
Rosenberg
Thomas
6/28/2007
$2,300
Rosenberg
Thomas
9/18/2007
$2,300
Sirazi
Semir
6/30/2003
$1,000
Sirazi
Semir
6/30/2003
$1,000
Smith
Jacqueline
6/30/2003
$1,000
Sreenan
Michael
6/30/2003
$2,000
Wade
Deloris P.
3/17/2000
$1,000
Wade
Deloris
12/31/2002
$1,000
Wade
Deloris
12/31/2002
$500
Wade
Deloris
6/30/2003
$1,000
Winter
Michael
6/30/2003
$3,000
Wislow
Susan
6/30/2003
$2,000
$159,085