Meng, Halloran Debate The Existence Of “Bundlers”

From today’s Heard Around Town:

* At a press conference yesterday at Queen Borough Hall, Democratic Assemblywoman Grace Meng responded to attacks from her Republican congressional opponent, Queens Councilman Dan Halloran, about Meng’s decision not to disclose her campaign bundlers.  “First of all, that’s something we released a statement on already,” Meng said, when asked about the charges by reporters, “and the response is pretty much the same for any candidate who understands campaign finance rules at the city, state, and federal level. There is no such thing as bundlers. It is something that is made up for political purposes.” Halloran’s campaign is trying to make an issue of the fact that Meng’s father, Jimmy, was recently arrested by the FBI for allegedly accepting bribes – and may have raised money for Meng’s campaign. But Meng, at the press conference with Maryland Rep. Steny Hoyer to highlight her plan to create American jobs, said other issues should be of paramount importance. “We’re doing what any other congressional candidate has done across the country, in fact, we’ve actually been using stricter procedures than most candidates across the nation,” Meng added of her fundraising efforts. Halloran’s spokesman Steven Stites continued to attack in response to Meng’s comments: “Assemblywoman Meng is playing a game of ‘can you’ top this?’ First she won’t disclose her bundlers. Now she says bundlers don’t exist. Next, she’ll say her money got delivered by a stork.