Another Budding Democrat Campaign Finance Scandal

What is it with Democrats and their shady cash cows who bundle money from various illicit sources, or illegally bundle the money, that somehow make Jack Abramoff look like an amateur, and yet gets a fraction of the press? That was the case with Norman Hsu, but it appears that Hsu wasn't the only one.

Junkyard Blog has the curious case of the lawyer who wasn't, Mauricio Celis, but instead was a mule for bringing in all kinds of money for various Democrats, including Hillary Clinton.

The state searched a U.S. Treasury database and border crossing data to determine that Celis went to Mexico frequently after withdrawing large sums of cash, according to an affidavit accompanying the warrant.

"Celis is rumored to be associated with questionable criminal element (sic) possibly related to drug trafficking," the affidavit states.

The affidavit, by Capt. Alex Pena of the Attorney General's Office, states that Pena "believes that Mauricio Celis has committed the felony offense of money laundering."

A document the state obtained from Frost Bank showed a joint account signed by Celis and Raul Armando Winder, a Mexican citizen and former police officer who has been employed as a pilot by individuals linked to narcotic trafficking, according to the affidavit. The account was for a business called Pegasus Air Services, which Celis owned from 2002-05, according to the Texas Secretary of State. Winder is listed as vice president on the bank application.

A search of campaign contributions found him giving money to the Clinton campaign, the DSCC, Ken Salazar, Democratic Party of Texas, and John Edwards, among others. The total amount donated to Democrats is over $118,000.

It remains to be seen what the candidates do with the money and how they deal with what appears to be yet another budding scandal.