Report: Big GOP Donor Was Stiffing Investors At Home

Wed, July 23, 2008 - 8:40 AM

WASHINGTON – Troubled Oregon venture capitalist Craig Berkman and his involvement in raising political donations for John McCain and other Republicans -- including at a Tampa area Republican fundraiser earlier this year -- is the focus of a front-page Washington Post story today.

Berkman was among those who gathered in January – on primary day in Florida -- at the Tampa Club for a Republican luncheon billed as being hosted by Sen. Mel Martinez and Gov. Charlie Crist to honor McCain, attended by the state’s business and political elite.

Berkman’s name even appears on the invitation, complete with the McCain campaign logo, along with the names of other Martinez and Crist and others.

“Unbeknown to the guests, Berkman's life was crashing around him,” the Post writes.

The Post reports that even as Berkman continued into early this year to help raise money in Tampa and elsewhere for McCain’s presidential campaign and other GOP candidates, he had already admitted to his investment partners that he had lent himself $5 million of their money without telling them.

Berkman’s continued efforts to raise money for McCain and others has angered his former investors, who have not see a penny of the $28 million in civil damages a jury awarded them.

The Post said Berkman and his wife donated as much as $50,000 to Republican candidates and party committees since January 2007. That included a check to the Republican National Committee’s Victory Fund as late as May 29 to supports McCain.

"This week, the McCain campaign said that it has given Berkman's donations to charity and that it will ask the Republican National Committee to do the same."

A Martinez spoksman, asked about Berkman, said the senator "doesn’t recall meeting this individual."

The spokesman, Ken Lundberg, added that while Martinez’ name was listed on the McCain campaign’s invitations to the event, that the senator did not attend it -- he was in Washington until 2 p.m. that day.

He joined McCain in Florida later that night, Lundberg said.

Read the entire story: here.