Filings with the Federal Election Commission show nearly $30,000 in campaign contributions to the Obama campaign by a pair of Palestinian brothers living in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.
Federal election law strictly bans donation of campaign funds by overseas individual who are not US citizens or Green Card holders as well as barring individuals from donating more than $2,300 to a single candidate during any campaign cycle.
Last week, the Atlas Shrugs blog outlined a series of donations in 2007 made to Obama’s campaign from two individuals, Monir Edwan and Hosam Edwan, totaling $29,521.54.
In an online form on Obama’s campaign site, the Edwans listed their street as “Tal Esaltan,” which they wrote was located in “Rafah, GA.”
Rafah is not a city in Georgia. The Atlas blog immediately raised concerns that the money may have been donated from the Gaza Strip town of Rafah.
The Edwans’ donations are listed in both FEC filings and other election filing sites, such as CampaignMoney and donordata.org.
Monir made 20 donations ranging from $717 to $2017.50 from October through November 2007. His donations totaled $24321.41. Hosam made seven donations ranging from $508.63 to $1725.96, totaling $5,200.13, all in October 2007.
The brothers deny that the money transfers were contributions, instead asserting that they purchased Obama tee-shirts to sell for a profit in their homeland.
“Some young men even bought the T-shirts for 60 shekel ($17.29), which is a lot to spend in Gaza on a T-shirt, but that is how much Gazans like Obama,” Edwan claimed.
But it was pointed out to Edwan [by WorldNet Daily] the T-shirts for sale on Obama’s website are listed as $20.08 and that selling the merchandise for less would not yield a profit.
“Maybe we sold the shirts for a lot more. I can’t remember now,” said Edwan.
Asked why he would purchase T-shirts at such a high rate and pay the cost of shipping when he could pay a company to produce T-shirts for less, Edwan replied, “We wanted the shirts to come from the campaign.”
But Edwan could not explain how he managed to get shipments of T-shirts into the Gaza Strip during the months he claimed to have purchased the merchandise, since Israel imposed a tight closure of the Gaza Strip starting in June 2007 that lasted until June 2008, when the Israeli government agreed to a cease-fire with Hamas in Gaza.
And WND managed to elicit this gem from Edwan.
We just like Obama and believe he will be the best for the Palestinians and for the world.
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