Clinton Blasts Defrauding Seniors Despite Supporter's Questionable Practices

Aug. 15, 2007 — -- In a Des Moines, Iowa, speech Wednesday morning, Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., expressed concern about older Americans being "scammed," even though her campaign has benefited from the largesse of a Democratic donor whose company is being investigated by the Iowa attorney general for its role in the very same issue -- defrauding seniors.

"Fraudsters prey on seniors," Clinton told more than 300 Iowans at Waukee High School. "They offer prizes and sweepstakes and lotteries that lure people into a web of deception."

Clinton warned the crowd, "We've got to send out the alarm: Seniors should be extremely careful in buying anything that someone tries to sell you over the telephone."

One of Clinton's biggest financial supporters, however, is the multimillionaire owner of a data-mining company currently under investigation for its role in selling data lists of vulnerable seniors in Iowa to criminals specifically preying on lottery-seekers.

Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller launched the investigation against telemarketers defrauding the elderly in 2005, including an exploration as to what role infoUSA and its subsidiary Walter Karl Inc. played in selling their telemarketing lists to the very same kinds of "fraudsters" Clinton lambasted Wednesday.

Vinod Gupta, founder, chairman and chief executive officer of infoUSA, has contributed more than $14,000 to Clinton and her various campaign committees, federal election records show.

For her presidential race, Gupta has given the maximum allowable contribution, $2,300, and by serving as vice chair of a June Manhattan fundraiser for Clinton featuring Christina Aguilera, Gupta committed to raising $50,000 for her campaign.

infoUSA has also paid former President Bill Clinton hundreds of thousands of dollars for speeches, and more than $3 million for consulting.

A spokesman for Clinton would not address whether there was an inconsistency between Clinton's concern about vulnerable seniors and the contributions she takes from Gupta, but insisted that the senator's record, when it comes to privacy issues and protecting seniors, speaks for itself.