Newspaper Reports On Campaign Contributions

Sunday, March 25th 2007, 1:53 pm

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ The Oklahoman reports that Governor Brad Henry and State Auditor and Inspector Jeff McMahan received more than a dozen campaign contributions from people at about the time those people received similar amounts from companies being investigated by the FBI. An investigation of records by the newspaper also indicated that former State Representative Mike Mass' unsuccessful 2002 campaign for Congress received five similar donations.

The FBI has alleged that former State Senator Gene Stipe and his estranged business partner, Steve Phipps, used illegal ``straw donors'' to give excessive donations to political candidates.

Straw donors are people who donate to a campaign using someone else's money.

So far, the FBI has identified donations to only one campaign, that of U.S. Representative Dan Boren in 2004, as part of the alleged scheme.

The Oklahoman and other media outlets have reported that some of the 21 alleged straw donors to Boren also are listed as donors to Henry, McMahan and Mass.

The FBI has not said if it considers those donations to McMahan, Henry and Mass to be illegal.

Boren, McMahan and Henry all have denied knowledge of the use of any illegal schemes in funding their campaigns.

Mass has not been able to be reached for comment.