McCain Campaign Is Returning Donations

A New York Times Blog Story

Senator John McCain’s presidential campaign will return all of the contributions solicited by the Jordanian business partner of one of Mr. McCain’s most prolific fund-raisers.

The decision caps a frenetic two days in which both the Washington Post and The New York Times published articles scrutinizing a cluster of more than $50,000 in unusual contributions from a single extended family, the Abdullahs, in California and several of their friends.

Several of the contributors, who seemed to be unusual major donors to a political campaign, expressed in interviews indifference or even hostility to Mr. McCain’s candidacy.

The donations were credited to Harry Sargeant III, who is the finance chairman for the Florida Republican Party and part-owner of a major oil trading firm. But the contributions were actually solicited by Mustafa Abu Naba’a, a longtime business partner of Mr. Sargeant’s.

“We are taking the precautionary effort of returning any and all contributions that were solicited by Mr. Abu Naba’a,” said Brian Rogers, a spokesman for the McCain campaign. “We had an issue with the idea there were people giving to the campaign who had no intention of voting for or supporting John McCain.”

Mr. Rogers said the campaign estimated the donations totaled under $50,000, but a Times analysis of campaign records found just more than $50,000 in donations that were apparently solicited by Mr. Abu Naba’a.

Mr. Rogers conceded there has been some debate about whether a foreign national like Mr. Abu Naba’a can bundle donations, but he said that was not the reason the campaign was returning the money.

“I don’t think it’s something that’s ever been litigated by the F.E.C.,” Mr. Rogers said. “We think it’s permissible, but this situation was different.”

Mr. Rogers said flatly: “It just didn’t sound right to us, the whole situation.”

The campaign is sending a letter to all of Mr. Sargeant’s donors, reminding them that contributions must come from their own funds and they may not be reimbursed for them by any other person or entity. If their contributions fail to meet this standard, the campaign is telling donors they can arrange for a refund.