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Sen. Michael Bennet giving up Bob Menendez PAC money
04/02/2015   By BURGESS EVERETT | POLITICO
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Michael Bennet recieved $10,000 from a Menendez PAC in 2010. Bennet is now donating that money. | AP Photo

Sen. Michael Bennet will give $10,000 to charity, an amount equal to campaign contributions the Colorado Democrat received from a political action committee associated with Sen. Robert Menendez several years ago, POLITICO has learned.

Bennet will give the money, which was received in the 2010 election cycle, to veterans charities in Colorado. He joins Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn..) in rejecting previously received money from Menendez’s New Millennium PAC, an influential group that has given more than $2 million to Democratic congressional candidates since 2000, according to OpenSecrets.

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“Our campaign has not accepted any contributions from Sen. Menendez [D-N.J.] this cycle, and we are donating his contributions from 2010 to charitable organizations that serve veterans in Colorado,” said Bennet’s campaign manager, Dan McNally.

Though Democratic Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), fellow New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and other prominent Democratic lawmakers issued statements supportive of Menendez after his Wednesday indictment, the spurned campaign contributions show some colleagues are already trying to distance themselves from the imperiled lawmaker.

On Wednesday evening, as first reported by The Associated Press, Klobuchar decided to also return money to Menendez’s PAC as well as to Salomon Melgen, a Menendez donor who was indicted along with the senator on Wednesday.

“Our campaign has never received questions from federal authorities about these contributions. The campaign is returning the contributions and will also be returning the contributions received from Sen. Menendez’s PAC,” said Klobuchar campaign aide Justin Buoen.

A source said the total returned by Klobuchar would be $18,000: $10,000 back to New Millennium PAC and $8,000 to Melgen.

Marc Elias, a Democratic lawyer who has acted as counsel to the PAC according to Federal Election Commission documents, did not return messages regarding whether more money was being returned other than from Sens. Bennet and Klobuchar.

National Republicans dinged Bennet for not returning the money immediately on Wednesday, and Senate Republicans’ campaign arm is pushing more Democrats to do the same, including Pennsylvania Senate hopeful Joe Sestak and former Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.), a campaign finance champion who may challenge incumbent Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.).

“As someone who prides himself as a leader on campaign finance reform, we fully expect Feingold to do the right thing and return Menendez’s dirty money,” said NRSC spokesman Jahan Wilcox.

A spokesman for Sestak indicated no refund was forthcoming.

“We have received no support from Sen. Menendez since the 2010 campaign when his donation was spent,” the spokesman said.

Kyle Cheney contributed to this report.

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