Most of Romney's top fundraisers remain anonymous

[Judi Lynn]

Most of Romney's top fundraisers remain anonymous
RICHARD LARDNER, Associated Press
Updated 03:06 p.m., Monday, February 13, 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) — Despite criticism of Fannie Mae by Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, his campaign accepted nearly $280,000 in donations raised by a registered lobbyist who once represented the government mortgage giant and whose clients now include a private equity firm and the drug company Pfizer.

Yet Romney has not identified all of his so-called fundraising "bundlers" who have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars, even after President Barack Obama's re-election campaign released the names of his top fundraisers. Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich also haven't disclosed their bundlers. Ron Paul's campaign has said it doesn't use them. For more than a decade, since the election of George W. Bush in 2000, presidential campaigns have identified their bundlers.

In an age of "super" political action committees, which can pull in millions of dollars from anonymous donors, bundlers still matter to modern presidential campaigns. Like Wayne Berman, the chairman of Ogilvy Government Relations who gathered $279,075 for Romney in 2011, these are well-connected executives who collect or direct multiple individual contributions of up to $2,500 to a campaign in amounts that can range from $50,000 to more than $500,000.

The lack of disclosure prevents voters from knowing who wields influence within a presidential campaign. Keeping their identities secret could end up stinging Romney — like the mishandled release of his income tax returns — if voters conclude he is withholding politically damaging information.

More:
http://www.chron.com/news/article/Most-of-Romney-s-top-fundraisers-remain-anonymous-3312231.php

[JoePhilly]

1. They are embarassed!!!

[Avalux]

2. Himself? His myriad of nonservice sons?

Other family members? He can certainly afford it.

[grateful581]

3. LDS Church Corp.?

[patrice]

4. Foreign partners into Rmoney's OFFSHORE investments? Expecting him to save their

real estate speculations? Some of it coastal and, hence, soon to be in need of 24/7/365 defense from approaching seas?

Just hypothesizing here . . .

[Zambero]

5. For a good reason

If Mittens doesn't snag the nomination, it would mean their mega-million contributions toward funding super-PACs set up in his behalf were poured down the drain. They will be seen as thinking they had clout to buy an election when they didn't, and worse yet that would tend to make them look like miscalculating idiots if their identity was known.