Terry McAuliffe
WASHINGTON – Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe is pointing fingers at the FBI for leaking their investigation into one of his campaign donors.
On Wednesday morning in an interview with WTOP radio, McAuliffe said the investigation will show he did nothing wrong.
“They can look at anything they want. I will say this. I had my lawyer reach out to the justice department to ask if they have any indication of any wrongdoing on my part. And the answer was ‘No,’ McAuliffe said.
McAuliffe said he was surprised when CNN broke the story about the FBI investigation into one of his campaign donors.
Chinese businessman Wang Wenliang donated $120,000 to his campaign for governor in 2013.
The governor maintains Wenliang was vetted as a donor. He also said he’s disappointed that someone in the FBI leaked information to CNN.
“It is very unfortunate that our institutions of integrity, justice and the FBI would leak information. They should be held to a higher standard. But listen, you live in this world, you’re in politics and these things happen,” McAuliffe said.
McAuliffe said that whoever leaked the investigation at the Dept. of Justice should be held accountable.
Campaign finance laws prohibit foreign interests from contributing to U.S. elections, but Wenliang is a U.S. national. He’s held a green card since 2007.
McAuliffe said his staff is checking schedules to determine with whom or when Wenliang might have met with Virginia officials.
Neither the FBI or the Justice Department have publicly confirmed the investigation.
Previous coverage:
Governor McAuliffe “in shock” over investigation
Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe under federal investigation for campaign contributions
