UPDATE: According the subscription-only MIRS News, Stabenow announced she is donating the $4,200 Norman Hsu gave to her campaign to the Michigan Children’s Trust Fund. A Stabenow spokesman didn’t say when the donation was/would be made, nor any word about the the $27K in bundled money Hsu raised for the Senator. It is worth noting that Stabenow’s camp made narry a peep about returning the Hsu contribution until it was raised here, and on other blogs, over the weekend.

Is this Michigan’s Own U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow with Democrat fugitive felon fund-raiser Norman Hsu?

Here, Stabenow is seen yucking it up with Hsu at a fundraiser he held for the senator at the St. Regis Hotel in Manhattan, I believe it was held in 2005.

Here is what the NYTimes is saying today about Hsu:

Shadowy Money Trail of a Fugitive Fund-Raiser
By MIKE McINTIRE

At the center of the ever-deepening mystery of Norman Hsu, the fugitive fund-raiser who was captured after a brief flight from the law last week, is the question of how he evolved from a bankrupt swindler in 1992 to a wealthy donor to many Democratic candidates, and a bundler of campaign contributions to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton in 2007.

A review of financial records for one of Mr. Hsu’s companies begins to shed light on some of his recent activities, including his dealings with a circle of campaign contributors that has fallen under suspicion since news of Mr. Hsu’s criminal past, murky business interests and unexplained riches rocked the Democratic Party. [SNIP]

And this from the Associated Press:

Years later, he resurfaced as a top fundraiser, donating $260,000 to Democratic Party groups and federal candidates since 2004, according to Federal Election Commission records.

A string of Democratic politicians have announced plans in the past week to return or donate to charity Hsu’s election contributions. Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell said Thursday he would donate nearly $40,000 in contributions, and Rep. Mark Udall, D-Colo. said Friday he donated a $1,000 contribution to a charity that helps soldiers.

New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has said she plans to give to charity $23,000 in donations she received from Hsu for her presidential and senatorial campaigns and to her political action committee, HillPac.

According to a search of FEC filings, Hsu has personally given Stabenow $4,200 and bundled more than $27,000 to her campaign coffers. He did all this while a fugitive from justice. Really, don’t these Democrats check who’s raising money for them, or don’t they care? Wait, I just answered my own question.

Speaking of questions, Michigan voters are bound to have a lot, like, is Stabenow going to give back or donate to charity the amount that Hsu raised for her, as did Hillary? Stabenow made a big stink in the ‘06 about her challenger, Mike Bouchard, for siting on the board of directors of a Michigan-based insurance company that had outsourced some of its operations. It was a disingenuous claim, considering Stabenow took campaign contributions from that same company’s PAC. At least the company is a law-abiding corporate citizen, and not on the lam like Stabenow buddy Hsu.

So, Debbie, what are you going to do??

(The photo above was captured from a site called CamerArts Events, which allows people to purchase photos of political events.)

Stabenow Hsu

Technorati Tags: Michigan, Politics, Hsu, Stabenow, Campaign+Contributions