Benefactor Pleads Guilty As Casey Clings To Weiner’s Campaign Cash

As more and more of U.S. Senator Bob Casey’s (D-PA) Democratic colleagues – including fellow Pennsylvanians Ed Rendell, Rep. Allyson Schwartz and Patrick Murphy – call on disgraced Congressman and Casey campaign benefactor Anthony Weiner (D-NY) to resign, Casey continues to keep mum and cling to the $1,000 in campaign cash he took from Weiner.

But, as The Hill reports, Casey’s campaign finance troubles go beyond his refusal to acknowledge, much less return, his tainted Weiner contributions:

Delaware liquor executive Christopher Tigani faces two counts of willfully making campaign contributions in the names of others – a violation of the Federal Election Campaign Act – and two counts of making false statements on his tax returns, according to court documents unsealed in U.S. District Court in Delaware on Thursday… Tigani in 2006 also donated… $2,100 to Sen. Bob Casey (Pa.).

The Associated Press reports that Tigani pleaded guilty yesterday, becoming the second Casey donor this week to publicly admit to illegal or unethical behavior.  But rather than acknowledge his relationship with these men, Casey continues to silently hold on to the thousands of dollars in campaign cash he has taken from his scandal-plagued friends.  Notably, Casey called ethics “one of the top issues” of his 2006 Senate campaign.

“It’s hard to square Senator Casey’s rhetoric on ethics with his total silence when it comes to unethical behavior by the people who bankroll his campaign,” said National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesman Chris Bond.