Top Ten Shady Donations Sought by Politicians

Charles Rangel, longtime serving democratic representative from New York, is facing an upcoming "trial" in the House of Representatives due in part to his use of his position to encourage donations from corporate interests to an academic center bearing his name. He has countered some of the allegations against him by noting that colleagues in Congress have also asked for donations to personally important causes. Ten examples of politicians using their influence inappropriately are listed below.

1. George W. Bush sought donations from the "Big Texas Toast Company" for his presidential library in exchange for his help in preserving a tax loophole applied to slices of bread thicker than ¼ of an inch.

2. Ronald Reagan pressured the maker of the popular candy "Jelly Bellies" to donate to his first presidential campaign on the promise that he would place a jar of Jelly Bellies on his oval office desk at all times in order to help the company boost sales, which he did do. In actuality, Ronald Reagan couldn't stomach jelly beans and preferred M & M's which he kept hidden in a desk draw.

3. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has continued to act while serving as California's governor, has in exchange for a role in the final Harry Potter movie allowed writer J. K. Rowling to use his office in the capitol when needed and has allowed her to write several Californian laws which restrict the "use of magic."

4. The late Ted Kennedy, who championed universal health care, raised millions for the Ted Kennedy Center for Liberalism in New York by giving donors special off-the-books tours of the Capitol Building's secret dungeon and the White House's underground bunker and submarine port.

5. Hillary Clinton raised millions of dollars for her failed 2008 presidential campaign by allowing donors to look at her "grand master plan" for her presidency, which was at that point a detailed 682 page text which included the construction of a Hillary Clinton Presidential monument where the Jefferson memorial now stands.

6. Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich often pressured large corporations into making donations to a "massages for Mr. Speaker" fund which paid for his daily office massages that he claimed he needed in order to relieve the stress of running the House.

7. Al Gore while vice president would ask that democratic donors give to the Gore/Mother Earth 2000 presidential election fund in exchange for allowing the donors to attend White House functions as ambassadors of made up countries such as "Narnia."

8. Jeb Bush as governor of Florida would seek contributions to the "Jeb Bush Center for Swamp Boy Politics" by giving tours of the area of the swamp in Tallahassee where he dumped uncounted elections ballots from democratic districts when his brother narrowly won the state in the 2000 presidential election.

9. Senator John McCain received campaign contributions from large corporations in exchange for personal tours of the "Hanoi Hilton" where he was held as a prisoner of war for years, in addition to collectible pictures of him as a POW which were personally signed by one of his assistants.

10. Michelle Obama has raised millions for her husband's 2012 reelection campaign by asking donors for large untraceable donations in cash while letting their children sleep over with Malia and Sasha at the White House.

For the top ten secrets leaked by Wikileaks, click here.

Sources:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/30/AR2010073006295.html?hpid=topnews