It's Not Hsu, It's Me

Posted by anamariecox Thursday, August 7, 2008 at 1:29 pm

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My post yesterday about McCain's hookah-happy donors was based on a WP article that's now been corrected: Apparently, the couple that owns the Twilight Hookah Lounge donated to Clinton and Giuliani, but not McCain.

So it all makes perfect sense now.

More seriously, the NYT has dug further into the story and found some more connections:

It appears, however, that Mr. Sargeant, the finance chairman of the Florida Republican Party and the part-owner of a major oil trading firm, International Oil Trading Company, did not actually solicit the donations from the Abdullahs and their friends.

That task fell to a longtime business partner, Mustafa Abu Naba'a. Mr. Sargeant said in an interview that he has known Mr. Abu Naba'a for more than a decade and has worked with him on commercial ventures, including a contract with the Pentagon to supply fuel to the military in Iraq.

Through Mr. Abu Naba'a's connections, Mr. Sargeant has raised more than $100,000 in contributions from several dozen Arab Americans in California, including the Abdullahs, for four candidates: Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Giuliani, Mr. McCain and Charlie Crist in his successful campaign for Florida governor in 2006. Mr. Crist is a close friend and college fraternity brother of Mr. Sargeant.

Sketchy.