Reply #11: Feds probe Christine O'Donnell's campaign spending [View All]

[Truth2Tell]

Source: SF Gate via AP

(12-29) 18:20 PST BALTIMORE (AP) --

Federal authorities have launched a criminal investigation to determine whether failed U.S. Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell broke the law by using campaign money to pay personal expenses, according to a person familiar with the investigation.

O'Donnell, the Delaware Republican and tea party favorite who scored a surprise primary victory this year only to lose badly in the November general election, denied the charges and suggested they were being driven by her political opponents on the right and left, including Vice President Joe Biden.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to protect the identity of a client who has been questioned as part of the probe. The case, which has been assigned to two federal prosecutors and two FBI agents in Delaware, has not been brought before a grand jury.

O'Donnell, who set a state record by raising more than $7.3 million in a tea party-fueled campaign this year, has been dogged by questions about her personal and campaign finances.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/12/29/national/a113821S66.DTL