Democrats, GOP spar over donors' pasts

WASHINGTON, Sept. 18 (UPI) -- Republican and Democratic leaders are sparring over U.S. donors, especially convicted donors, and demanding return of tainted funds, party observers say.

Not everyone in this push, however, hasn't been convicted of anything.

The National Republican Congressional Committee, for example, has demanded that Democratic incumbents and challengers return campaign contributions from embattled U.S. Rep. Charles B. Rangel, D-N.Y., who is under an ethics investigation but who hasn't been charged with a crime.

Both parties have lists of donors who had some legal problems in the past.

A list compiled by Democratic operatives indicates the NRCC has received more than $50,000 from convicted criminals this cycle, Politico reported. The NRCC furnished Politico with three Democratic donors with criminal problems who reportedly gave $101,000 to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

While Democrats mostly limited their list to Republican donors convicted of relatively serious crimes, the Republicans included Democratic donors with more modest records, such as drunken driving, Politico said.