Schweikert Calls on Mitchell to Return Tainted Campaign Contributions

Scottsdale, AZ Congressional candidate David Schweikert is calling on Harry Mitchell to return nearly $50,000 in tainted campaign contributions from two of his embattled Democrat House leaders. The people of the Fifth District expect a certain level of competence and integrity from their elected officials, Schweikert said. In a very short period of time, Harry Mitchell has let them down repeatedly. Campaign finance records show that Mitchell has accepted $20,000 in Political Action Committee dollars from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Pelosi is under fire today after news reports surfaced showing that she directed nearly $100,000 from her PAC to the Future fund to a company owned by her husband. Mitchells campaign received money from that same PAC. In addition, Mitchell has accepted $28,000 from House Ways & Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel, who is under ethics investigation for failure to pay taxes over a period of 20 years. Accepting tainted political contributions was a practice that was at the heart of corruption allegations leveled at congress in 2006. This is more than mere hypocrisy, this is arrogance, Schweikert said. Charles Rangel heads the committee that writes U.S. tax law, but hes under an ethics probe for not paying his own taxes. Nancy Pelosi has diverted money to her husbands business from a campaign committee she controls. Funds from these tainted sources are paying for Harry Mitchells campaign. Voters in the Fifth District deserve better than this kind of disregard for ethics. Its been six days since Mitchell was called upon to return tainted donations and the response has been a deafening silence. He should return these funds and dispel the air of hypocrisy that hangs over his campaign.