Watchdog Group Praises Obama For Donating Rezko Money

CHICAGO (WBBM) -- A campaign watchdog group here in Illinois says Barack Obama doing the right thing in returning money donated by indicted fundraiser Tony Rezko. But, an official questions whether he or other candidates are doing enough.

WBBM Political Editor Craig Dellimore reports

David Morrison, Deputy Director of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, says the problem is that there’s so much pressure for candidates to raise money, that they spend more time obtaining it than checking out their donors. Still, he says, it’s a positive step to return the money when problems arise.

Morrison says the problem of tainted contributions affects many campaigns. It’s not just Barack Obama and donor Tony Rezko. He points out Hillary Clinton turned back some 850-thousand dollars from Norman Hsu, who skipped bail on a fraud conviction from 1992.

Morrison says returning the money is the right thing to do after the fact, but ALL campaigns should do a better job upfront deciding if their finances are coming from reputable sources.

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