Donor to Sinema faces allegations
For at least the third time in a year, U.S. Rep. Kyrsten Sinema may be looking to distance herself from a politically inconvenient contributor.
Sinema’s U.S. House and Senate campaigns since 2012 took in $11,000 from the campaign of U.S. Rep. Tony Cárdenas, a California Democrat who is professing his innocence after recent allegations that he had sexually molested an underage girl in 2007.
Cárdenas, one of the highest-ranking Latino members of Congress, vehemently denied the allegations made against him in a lawsuit filed in California. He said through his attorney to various media outlets that the allegations, “are 100% categorically untrue” and were brought by the daughter of a disgruntled former Cardenas employee.
“This case is still moving through the court system and it would be inappropriate to comment on ongoing litigation,” James Owens, Sinema’s campaign spokesman, told in an emailed statement.
Sinema, an Arizona Democrat, and Cárdenas both joined the House of Representatives in 2013 and there are pictures of the two on social media that, at least at the time, reflect a collegial relationship.
In 2012, he posted a photo of them together, writing, “Krysten (sic) Sinema & I will be serving together in the 113th congress. Also, she “
Sinema is now running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Arizona, and is widely considered the leading Democratic contender.
Her opponents have been seizing on contributions made to her campaigns over the years by unsavory or questionable characters as a way to undermine her credibility and judgment.
The hits on her donors are shaping up as a key talking point by Republican who see her as a threat to their party’s narrow control of the Senate.
Republicans have also been affiliated with donors accused of sexual misconduct.
One-time casino mogul Steve Wynn, accused of various allegations of sexual mistreatment over many years, has donated more than $14,000 to the Arizona Republican Party since 2004, FEC records show.
Wynn has denied the allegations. He relinquished his post as the Republican National Committee finance chair in January, after news of the allegations broke. The state GOP has not returned or donated Wynn’s money to a charitable organization, saying the matter remained under investigation.
Sinema’s campaign has had to weigh what to do about politically radioactive donors in the recent past.
A year ago, Sinema unloaded about $53,000 in contributions tied to the executives or family members of Backpage.com. The website’s founders are under federal indictment on charges of conspiring to knowingly facilitate prostitution offenses through the website. Authorities contend some of the trafficked people included teenage girls.
Apart from the contributions, Sinema stumbled in trying to find a charity willing to accept money that was seen as tainted.
In November, Sinema and a politicalaction committee linked to her gave away nearly $34,000, the amount she had collected over the years from Ed Buck, a prominent Democratic donor who has come under scrutiny after a male escort died of a drug overdose at his California home last year.
Cárdenas acknowledged Thursday he is the target of a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court alleging sexual abuse. The lawsuit describes the target as “Mr. Doe.”
A woman claims she was molested 11 years ago at the age of 16 by an elected politician in the city. At that time, Cárdenas was a Los Angeles city councilman.
The lawsuit alleges that on Jan. 29, 2007, Mr. Doe invited the girl to play golf at a country club. Several hours into the game, it says, he handed her a cup of water, which tasted “peculiar.”
She collapsed to the ground, the lawsuit says. Mr. Doe drove her to the emergency room and while she was in the passenger seat of his car with her eyes closed and head resting on the window, “Mr. Doe reached his hands inside Ms. Doe’s shirt and rubbed her breasts. Mr. Doe then reached down her shorts and fondled her vagina.”