Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
WASHINGTON (AP) - A longtime aide to Bill Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton has been identified as the link between Hillary Clinton's 2008 campaign and a person who admitted using more than $600,000 in off-the-books funds to help get out the vote in the Democratic primaries.
Minyon Moore is the unnamed individual who, according to court documents, introduced New York marketing executive Troy White to a District of Columbia businessman who paid White to deploy "street teams" on Clinton's behalf, according to a person familiar with the investigation who spoke on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to disclose the information.
Moore, 55, has cooperated with federal law enforcement officials, and the person familiar with the investigation said there is no evidence she was aware of any wrongdoing. Her identity was first disclosed by The Washington Post.
"Minyon has been fully cooperating with the government's investigation," according to a statement from her employer, Dewey Square Group, a political-consulting firm. "The facts make clear that she was entirely unaware of any inappropriate activities."
White pleaded guilty on Wednesday to a misdemeanor for failing to report the income received by his company, Wytehouse Marketing Inc. The businessman who paid White, also unnamed in court documents, is Jeffrey Thompson, the former owner of a politically connected Washington accounting firm, according to two people familiar with the investigation. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose the information.
Thompson is the subject of a grand jury investigation, court documents show. He's also suspected of funding a $653,000 "shadow campaign" that, according to prosecutors, helped Vincent Gray get elected mayor of Washington in 2010. Three close associates of Thompson have admitted in federal court that they made more than $300,000 in straw donations to political candidates on his behalf.
According to the documents, White approached a Clinton campaign staffer about using his "street teams" to aid the campaign. That staffer was Guy Cecil, Clinton's national political director in 2008, according to a person familiar with the investigation who spoke on condition of anonymity because of Cecil's limited involvement in the case.
Moore argued in an email to Cecil that White should be hired, but Cecil declined to employ White, and Moore then introduced White to Thompson, according to the documents and the people familiar with the investigation.
According to the documents, Thompson paid White $608,750 to do the same work White had offered to do for the Clinton campaign. The payments to White, which were not included on campaign finance reports, were funneled through another Washington firm with close ties to Thompson.
The documents show the person now identified as Moore remained in touch with White after he began deploying his street teams to aid the campaign. Moore, according to the documents, arranged for the street teams to obtain campaign materials from the campaign's Texas offices. She also "provided White with confidential internal information ... regarding the itinerary and schedule of a high-profile individual who would be campaigning in Texas," the documents show.
Thompson also bundled contributions for Clinton.
According to a database of Thompson-affiliated donors compiled by The Associated Press, Thompson and more than 50 of his associates _ including employees, relatives, business associates and friends _ gave more than $100,000 to Clinton's 2008 campaign. Those donors include the three people who have admitted making straw donations that were reimbursed by Thompson.
Moore, who lives in Washington, was an adviser to the Rev. Jesse Jackson's 1984 and 1988 presidential campaigns as well as Michael Dukakis' 1988 bid. During Bill Clinton's administration, she served as political affairs director and public liaison for the White House. She later worked as CEO of the Democratic National Committee.
Democratic political strategist and Clinton adviser Donna Brazile, who described herself as Moore's best friend, said the investigation should not harm Moore's reputation.
"This has been irritating to her, but not debilitating. She did nothing. She was unaware of anything that was going on in (Thompson's) life," Brazile said. "She's probably the most honest person I've ever met in politics and in life."
___
Follow Ben Nuckols on Twitter at https://twitter.com/APBenNuckols.
(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
