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Thursday, September 25, 2008

Heinrich Pressured To Return Donation

By Colleen Heild
Journal Staff Writer
          The National Republican Congressional Committee is turning up the heat on 1st Congressional District candidate Martin Heinrich for continuing to keep $12,000 in campaign contributions from embattled Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y.
        Republicans say Heinrich should condemn Rangel and return what they say is "tainted" cash because Rangel, the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, has come under scrutiny for allegedly failing to disclose $75,000 in rental income and not paying state and federal taxes on a home in the Dominican Republic.
        "Charlie Rangel is under investigation for circumventing the very tax laws that he himself has written, but Martin Heinrich doesn't seem to think that's a problem," said NRCC press secretary Ken Spain on Wednesday.
        Rangel has requested separate ethics investigations to look into the matters but has denied any serious improprieties.
        Heinrich spokeswoman Angela Barranco fired back that Heinrich's Republican opponent Darren White should "return every single dollar he's raised from President Bush and his cronies for the billions of dollars the American people will have to pay Wall Street in the aftermath of eight years of reckless and failed economic policies."
        At least three Democratic congressional candidates or incumbents have returned or given to charity donations received from Rangel or his National Leadership PAC.