Federal officials are investigating whether Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe's 2013 campaign accepted illegal campaign contributions, sources familiar with the investigation confirmed Monday to Fox News.
The Democratic governor and Clinton ally is the target of a Justice Department investigation into whether he violated campaign finance laws. The probe, first reported
by CNN, involves a $120,000 donation from Chinese businessman Wang Wenliang through his U.S. businesses. U.S. election law prohibits foreign nationals to donate to political races.
McAuliffe's attorney, Marc Elias, said in a statement his office was not aware of the investigation, but would cooperate if contacted by federal officials.
"We cannot confirm the CNN report. Neither the Governor nor his former campaign has knowledge of this matter, but as reported, contributions to the campaign from Mr. Wang were completely lawful," Elias said. "The Governor will certainly cooperate with the government if he is contacted about it."
A spokesman for Wang told CNN the businessman holds permanent resident status in the U.S. Wang also has been a donor to the Clinton foundation, pledging $2 million, CNN reported.
McAuliffe now becomes the second consective Virginia governor to be investigated by the Justice Department. Bob McDonnell was convicted in 2014 of corruption charges related to accepting more than $165,000 in gifts and loans from a wealthy businessman in exchange for promoting a dietary supplement. The Supreme Court is currently weighing an appeal of the conviction.
At issue is a federal law that bars public officials from accepting money or gifts in exchange for "official acts." The court is expected to clarify what distinguishes bribery from the routine actions that politicians often perform as a courtesy to constituents.
