Halloran Slams Meng For Not Disclosing Bundlers [UPDATED]

Jimmy Meng, via China Daily

Picking up on our item a few days ago about Democratic Assemblywoman Grace Meng declining to voluntarily release the names of her campaign bundlers, Meng’s congressional opponent, Republican Queens Councilman Dan Halloran, is out with a press release this morning entitled: “What Does Grace Meng Have to Hide?”

“My campaign is based on transparency,” Halloran said in a statement. “Americans are tired of politics as usual, and Washington has lost our trust. Full disclosure is the only way to restore that trust.”

“If Grace Meng isn’t ready to disclose her finances, how can she be ready to represent us in Congress?” said Halloran campaign spokesman Steven Stites. “Her campaign coffers are flush with special interest money. The people deserve to know who helped her raise that money. New Yorkers can’t help but wonder what Grace Meng has to hide.”

Of course, what Halloran is really getting at is that Meng’s father, the recently arrested Jimmy Meng, almost certainly has played a major role in helping his daughter raise campaign cash. And information about exactly which contributions Jimmy Meng bundled is not publicly available — only registered lobbyists must disclose such information for federal elections.

Still, Meng’s own legal troubles have no apparent connection to his daughter’s campaign. In fact, Grace Meng’s campaign made sure to note early in the campaign how scrupulous it was being in vetting donors, given all the suspicious surrounding “straw donors” giving to Liu’s campaign.

I have no idea why Meng’s campaign isn’t releasing info about its bundlers (the campaign did not elaborate when asked), but it’s clearly ready to move on from talking about Jimmy Meng — and releasing information about bundlers would only open fuel more press about Jimmy Meng’s arrest. A couple of Democratic operatives in Queens I’ve spoken to about the situation thought Meng’s campaign was ultimately making the right call, even if in the short-term, Halloran can score a few politics points.