We’re learning who he is

The Washington Times takes a look John Kerry’s fund-raising record. It turns out that the Beacon Hill populist is the Senate’s biggest recipient of donations from individual lobbyists, also known as “influence peddlers.” Kerry trumpets his refusal to accept contributions from political action committees, but PACs are responsible for only 5 percent of hard-money campaign contributions from the lobbying industry to federal candidates. The other 95 percent comes through the individual donations that have become Kerry’s specialty.
The Times also notes that, in 1996, Kerry pocketed an illegal contribution from the notorious Johnny Chung, whose contributions were financed in part by Red Chinese military intelligence. Kerry dealt directly with Liu Chaoying, a lieutenant in the People’s Liberation Army and an executive in a firm sanctioned by the United States for providing missile technology to Pakistan. Newsweek has reported that Kerry’s staff intervened on Liu’s behalf to urge the SEC to list one of Liu’s companies on the U.S. stock exchange.
The Tiimes promises in future editorials to review the sources and uses of hard and soft money collected and dispensed by Kerry’s own PAC, the “Do You Know Who I am Fund” — I mean the “Citizen Soldier Fund.” That’s something to look forward to.