Hillary’s rival now questions Indian’s funding

Washington, November 12 : After losing the race for the Senate to first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, Republican Rick Lazio has questioned ...

Washington, November 12 : After losing the race for the Senate to first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, Republican Rick Lazio has questioned the origins of the funds for her campaign and the credentials of an Indian who was a major contributor.

After a New York daily reported the receipt of millions of dollars of soft money from a New York-based Indian American businessman, Sant Singh Chatwal, Lazio urged Hillary to hand over the funds to the US Treasury.Chatwal owed money to the US tax-payers and instead gave it to Hillary’s campaign, alleged a spokesman for Lazio, Michael Marr. The newspaper, The Daily News, also listed several financial irregularities allegedly committed by the businessman.

Hillary’s rival now questions Indian’s funding “Given Ms Clinton’s misuse of Lincoln’s bedroom and Camp David to raise funds, the latest revelation is not surprising, but it is still wrong. It would be appropriate for Ms Clinton to hand over the funds to the federal treasury,” Marr said.The funds came a week before Hillary and Lazio agreed to stop using soft money for TV advertisements, according to the newspaper. The report said that besides making his own contributions, Chatwal has been a driving force behind large sums of money given by Indian Americans for Hillary’s campaign since early this year.

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The newspaper also reported how his contributions had its perquisites. Chatwal accompanied President Clinton and his daughter, Chelsea, on their trip to India in March. He was a guest at a White House state dinner for King Mohammed of Morocco in June and hosted a private party for the Clintons at his Manhattan penthouse in September.

Chatwal, a former fighter pilot for the Indian Air Force, is a US citizen now and has several New York hotels.