This isn’t Terry McAuliffe’s first rodeo. The Democrat previously served as Virginia’s 72nd governor from 2014 to 2018.
But the fight to reclaim power in Richmond presents unique challenges. For one thing, McAuliffe comes with baggage. Even the far-left Mother Jones has attacked him for his “brazen mixing of his campaign fundraising activity and attempts to enrich himself personally.”
More than that, there was an FBI investigation into McAuliffe’s campaign finances. The evidence was inconclusive.
CNN reported how one six-figure donation got investigators’ attention:
Among the McAuliffe donations that drew the interest of the investigators was $120,000 from a Chinese businessman, Wang Wenliang, through his U.S. businesses. Wang was previously delegate to China’s National People’s Congress, the country’s ceremonial legislature.
An official told The Washington Post that investigators were interested in McAuliffe’s foreign sources of income. The FBI also scrutinized the governor’s time on the board of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI). Wang also donated $2 million to the CGI. For his part, McAuliffe defended his actions and those of the Clinton Foundation.
McAuliffe said it should not be surprising that he shares donors with the foundation because he has been close to the Clintons for years.
“We have a lot of the same friends,” he said. “Those that give to the Clinton Foundation are good friends of mine for years and years.”
Neither the foundation nor the presidential campaign is a target of the probe, an official told The Post. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to publicly discuss the ongoing investigation.
During the hard fought 2013 gubernatorial campaign, Republican Ken Cuccinelli took a page out of President Trump’s future playbook and dubbed McAuliffe “Tricky Terry.” If Republicans stay home on Election Day next month, he’ll have earned his nickname.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of The Republican Standard.