Calif. Campaign Finance Scandal Signals Need for Candidate Vigilance

The California campaign finance scandal involving Kinde Durkee, treasurer for many Democrats’ campaigns, offers a reminder to candidates that they must be careful about aides with access to their money, Politico reports.

Durkee is alleged to have stolen campaign funds from several politicians, including Sen. Dianne Feinstein, and the Los Angeles County Democratic Party.

But she wouldn’t be the first treasurer to have been caught stealing from her clients. House Speaker John Boehner, Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, and House and Senate campaign committees all have been ripped off by staffers able to tap their accounts.

The Durkee mess may represent one of the biggest campaign embezzlement scandals in political history, and it’s making some politicians realize that they need better systems to safeguard their campaign funds.

The bottom line for candidates: “trust but verify,” said New York Rep. Steve Israel, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.