<p><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Brody Mullins had a terrific story </span>yesterday in the <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118826947048110677.html">Wall Street Journa</a><a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118826947048110677.html">l</a> that raises questions about whether six members of the Paw family, who <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?q=41+SHELBOURNE+AVE,+94015">live in a modest neighborhood</a> in San Francisco and who list their occupation as "gift shop owner," could possibly make $45,000 in political contributions to Sen. Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. </p> <p>Obviously digging into numerous databases, Mullins discovered that the Paws live in a modest 1,280 square foot house that they recently refinanced for $270,000. The head of the household is a mail carrier earning $49,000 a year. His wife is a homemaker. Mullins also figured out that the <a href="http://www.opensecrets.org/indivs/search_hp.asp?txtName=Paw&NumOfThou=0&txt2008=Y&submit=Go%21">Paw family contributions</a> are nearly identical to donations made by a wealthy New Yorker -- <a href="http://www.opensecrets.org/indivs/search.asp?key=FUMSM&txtName=hsu&txtState=(all%20states)&txtCand=clinton&txt2008=Y&Order=N">Norman Hsu</a> -- who once listed the Paw family home as his own address. Hsu is a big fund raiser for Clinton.</p> <p>How does this much money come from a family that doesn't appear to have these kinds of financial resources? It raises questions in the minds of many campaign finance experts (including yours truly) as to whether they were illegal contributions.Were the Paws "reimbursed" for their generous contributions to Clinton by Hsu? Hsu and the Paws deny any wrong doing. But it sure makes you wonder. </p> <p>Given the crush for cash by all the presidential candidates, there are lots of stories like this in <a href="http://www.opensecrets.org/">these database</a><a href="http://www.opensecrets.org/">s</a>.</p><p><i>Update:</i> The Washington Post <a href="http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/08/28/clinton-campaign-will-keep-contributions/">report</a><a href="http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/08/28/clinton-campaign-will-keep-contributions/">s</a> that Hilliary Clinton sees no reason to return the contributions by either Hsu or the Paw Family. Further Update: After reports surfaced in the LA Times today that there is an outstanding warrant out of Hsu, the Clinton campaign <a href="The Washington Post reports http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/08/29/clinton-campaign-will-give-hsu-money-to-charity/ tonight that the Clinton campaign is returning the contributions from Hsu.">returns his money</a>. </p>
