Diaz-Balart Should Investigate Campaign Contributions from Tainted McCain Bundler

Hialeah, FL(Immediate Release) – Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart has accepted $18,400 from South Florida fund-raiser Harry Sargeant, who has come under increasing scrutiny as of late for collecting $50,000 in tainted campaign contributions for Republican presidential candidate John McCain

Yesterday, John McCain did the right thing and returned the tainted campaign contributions collected by Mr. Sargeant. Congressman Diaz-Balart should do the right thing and investigate all contributions to his campaign bundled by Mr. Sargeant and publicly disclose all contributions collected by Mr. Sargeant. According to FEC records, Sargeant has raised at least $18,400 for Lincoln Diaz-Balart through himself, his brother, and their spouses.

Sargeant came under increasing scrutiny this week when the Washington Post revealed that he collected money for McCain from various families of very modest means, who said they never had an interest in politics and in several instances had never even registered to vote. Several of the families contributed as much as $18,400. The contributors were very hesitant to answer questions about how the money was funneled through Mr. Sargeant and how they were persuaded to give such exorbitant amounts.

According to NBC and Washington Post reports, Sargeant's company International Oil Trading Company has repeatedly won contracts with the Defense Department worth hundreds of millions of dollars since the invasion of Iraq, potentially worth more than $1 billion. Last month, Congress began an investigation of IOTC's contract to review media reports that IOTC was overcharging the military for jet fuel, and to learn how the company landed the contract when they were not the lowest bidder.

See FEC records of Sargeant family contributions to Lincoln Diaz-Balart below: