Virginia Gov. McAuliffe’s FBI Investigation Has Clinton Tie | Full Story

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(AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

BOYCE, Va. – Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe said he is “very confident” that the FBI will find no wrongdoing in its investigation of donations to his 2013 campaign and his personal finances.

The governor, a Democrat, said he reacted with “shock” to news of an investigation by the Justice Department.

“No one had outreached to us,” McAuliffe told reporters Tuesday after a bill-signing at the state arboretum. “Listen, you get leaks and things happen in the business. As I say, I’m very confident.”

CNN first reported the inquiry, saying that investigators are looking into a six-figure contribution that Chinese businessman Wang Wenliang made to McAuliffe’s campaign through his U.S. businesses.

But a federal official told The Washington Post federal investigators are looking broadly at donations to McAuliffe and at his personal finances

Attorneys for McAuliffe’s 2013 gubernatorial campaign carefully reviewed all donations, the governor said.

West Legend Co., the New Jersey affiliate of Rilin Enterprises, a Chinese firm led by Wang, gave $120,000 to McAuliffe’s 2013 campaign and inauguration. Wang’s donations attracted interest because he is closely linked to the Chinese government, both as a member of the National People’s Congress and as a contractor entrusted to build China’s embassies.

Foreign nationals are prohibited under federal law from making political contributions, except immigrants who hold green cards. An American subsidiary of a foreign corporation cannot contribute campaign funds if it is financed in any way by its parent company or if individual foreign nationals are involved in the decision to make the donation.

But Wang holds U.S. permanent resident status, which makes him eligible to donate to McAuliffe’s campaign.

“Our legal team, every check that came into the campaign was vetted and they feel, and they do to this day, very confident the guy’s a legitimate donor,” McAuliffe said Tuesday.

Many details of the federal probe, including what prompted it, remain unclear, and one official said there is skepticism among prosecutors about whether it will lead to charges.

That official said investigators have been scrutinizing McAuliffe’s finances – including personal bank records, tax returns and public disclosure forms that date back many years – and are interested in foreign sources of income.

The federal inquiry includes a period before McAuliffe was elected and when he was serving as an unpaid director for the Clinton Foundation. Wang has also donated to the foundation, giving $2 million.

“This has nothing to do with the Clinton Foundation,” McAuliffe said. “This was an allegation of a gentleman who gave a check to my campaign. I didn’t bring the donor in.”

McAuliffe said it shouldn’t be surprising that he shares donors with the foundation because he has been close to the Clintons for years.

“We travel the same circles,” he said. “I’ve traveled the globe with President [Bill] Clinton, and we have a lot of the same friends. Those that give to the Clinton Foundation are good friends of mine for years and years.”

McAuliffe did not mention Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton. Neither the foundation nor the presidential campaign is a target of the probe, an official told The Washington Post on Monday. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to publicly discuss the ongoing investigation.

McAuliffe defended the work of the foundation and the former president.

“They have really done great, spectacular work to help people’s lives,” he said. “That’s what he’s focused on and he’s done a great job, and I’ve honestly been very proud to be part of it.”

(c) 2016, The Washington Post ยท Jenna Portnoy

(AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
(AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

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