Funding questions
dog GOP’s Tanonaka
The congressional candidate
denies any accounting misdeeds
Republican congressional candidate Dalton Tanonaka, already facing possible criminal prosecution for alleged campaign spending violations from 2002, is facing similar allegations in his current campaign.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in Washington, D.C., filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission accusing Tanonaka of hiding the source of $69,000 he loaned to his campaign. The complaint said Tanonaka does not have the financial resources to make such a loan, having almost no income and debts of between $160,000 and $365,000, according to his financial disclosure statement.
Tanonaka, who is challenging Democratic incumbent Neil Abercrombie for the 1st Congressional District seat representing urban Honolulu, said the accusation is baseless.
"The money was personal that I earned. I loaned to the campaign, that's it. No loans from anybody. I earned it as a consultant, as an Asia business consultant. That was my job."
He said the money does not appear in his candidate disclosure report he filed in July because the money was earned after that. His report lists $4,762 he earned so far this year from Big Wave Honolulu LLC. Tanonaka said Big Wave is his consulting company.
And he repeated what he said after the previous campaign spending complaint was filed against him: that Abercrombie is behind the complaints.
DCCC spokeswoman Amber Moon said, "The Abercrombie campaign is not related to this matter in any way, shape or form."
Abercrombie's staff also denied that the congressman had anything to do with the complaint.
The DCCC's mission is to get more Democrats elected to Congress. It is not part of the Democratic National Committee. Moon said the DCCC started looking at Tanonaka's reports after it learned of the complaint from his failed lieutenant governor's bid in 2002.
The previous complaint, filed with the state Campaign Spending Commission, was lodged by Ed Nishioka, who was Tanonaka's campaign manager in the 2002 election. Nishioka alleges that Tanonaka tried to hide the source of $45,000 the candidate loaned to his campaign by funneling the money through his personal checking account. On the same day Tanonaka made the loan, he deposited $48,000 into his checking account.
Tanonaka said the $45,000 was his own money.
The commission voted to refer the case to the city Prosecutor's Office last week.
Nishioka is also suing Tanonaka for $40,000 that Nishioka says is owed to him for media-related services that he provided for Tanonaka's 2002 campaign.
Tanonaka said he does not owe Nishioka $40,000. The case has yet to go to trial.
www.tanonakaforcongress.com/
