N.M. Cash Over Limit In Calif. Campaign:Bustamante (Dem Culture of Corruption)

With about a month to go before the October special election, the California Democrat's campaign received an injection of more than $150,000 in cash from three prominent New Mexicans or companies with which they are affiliated.

Questions were raised about Bustamante's campaign finances after he lost the election.

The California Fair Political Practices Commission, which enforces the state's campaign finance laws, sued Bustamante in 2004 for accepting contributions over the allowable limit of $21,200.

The Aragon(then state Sen), Parra and Martinez contributions were among 44 cited by the commission in a civil lawsuit against Bustamante's campaign as exceeding the limit. The commission claimed Bustamante received $3.8 million in excess contributions. Some of the money went into other campaign accounts Bustamante controlled and was then transferred into his gubernatorial campaign fund. (And Tom DeLay was charged with a crime?)

The case was settled in April 2004 when Bustamante agreed to pay a civil settlement of $263,000.

The Journal is a paid site. This is an exerpt of the article.

I don't remember the DBM screaming day after day about this democrat crime...where was Pelosi, it's her state? The state government in NM is riddled with corrupt dems, and rutabaga Richardson thinks he will ride this governorship to the White House. Makes me physically sick to my stomach.

I don't remember the DBM screaming ... where was Pelosi?

Bustamante is a leader in a cultural war and all is fair in love and war.

The less fortunate class is allowed much greater tolerance by the MSM and Democrat principals during their constant scrutiny of political shenanigans.

But you knew that before you posed the query.

You can excerpt up to 300 words and though the Journal is a pay site, you can read for free if you watch a thirty-second commercial.

Here is a bit more of the article:

The contributions by Aragon, Parra and Martinez were made a few weeks after Gov. Bill Richardson's political action committee, Moving America Forward, donated the legal limit of $21,200 to Bustamante. There were several other donations from New Mexico to Bustamante's campaign, according to California campaign finance filings, but for much smaller amounts. They ranged between $500 and $1,000. Richardson's office did not respond to a question about whether he solicited donations on Bustamante's behalf.

What you did not mention and what is too long to excerpt is that the FBI is investigating the three in connection with kickbacks in the construction of Metro Court, state District Court and the Metropolitan Detention Center in Albuquerque. In addition it is believed that the contract for computer and video cabling in Metro Court was padded by $1.5 million. And, of course, Aragon was just fired as President of New Mexico Highlands University and took a $200,000 buyout of his contract. I hadn't heard about the FBI and campaign investigations until this article. He's even more corrupt than King Bill! Of course this is nothing new for NM.

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