The FBI is investigating claims that a Saudi Arabian friend of Patrick Murphy, the Democrat challenging Republican Marco Rubio for the U.S. Senate from Florida, ran a "straw donor" scheme to boost Murphy during his 2012 run for the Hout, The Hill reported Wednesday.
The Hill says it found no evidence that Murphy himself was involved in, or even aware of, the alleged scheme.
Murphy has known the donoro, Ibrahim al-Rashid, the son of a Saudi billionaire, for years, as they were classmates at a private New Jersey prep school, according to The Washington Free Beacon.
Al-Rashid has been one of Murphy's biggest donors since 2011, when the Florida candidate announced his congressional run.
A Republican super PAC earlier this year filed a complaint on the issue, which the FBI is looking into.
The Senate Leadership Fund, claimed in its June complaint to the Federal Election Commission that 11 donors in Texas, Pennsylvania and Florida "participated in an unlawful scheme to funnel Ibrahim Al-Rashid's contributions, or were used by Al-Rashid to funnel contributions without their knowledge," reports The Hill. A total of $24,050 was involved.
The super PAC is "willing to say anything to elect Marco Rubio," Murphy campaign spokesman Joshua Karp told the Hill.. “Neither Patrick nor any current or past employees have ever been contacted regarding this matter, and we are confident an examination of the facts will result in its dismissal
Murphy is running against Marco Rubio, in a race that could help decide which party controls the Senate in 2017. Rubio currently leads Murphy by an average of 5.6 percentage points, according to RealClearPolitics.
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