WHITE HOUSE SPEAKS OUT ON JEFF'S DRAMA
White House Debunks Sri Lankan Diplomat’s Story of Meeting with President Obama
Senator Boxer’s campaign to return funds raised by Jeff Goonewardena
by Hassina Leelarathna -- Los Angeles, California
(November 29, Los Angeles - California, Sri Lanka Guardian) In addition to making false claims about a ‘meeting’ with the US President, a Sri Lankan diplomat appears to have violated US campaign laws by helping raise funds for a political candidate.
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| “There was no ‘meeting’ or ‘briefing’ between Consul General Goonewardena and President Obama. It was a very, very brief encounter in the photo line,” - Shin Inouye, a director at the White House Office of Media Affairs |
Ending speculation about Sri Lankan Consul General Jeff Goonewardena’s ‘meeting’ with President Barack Obama, the White House has flatly refuted the diplomat’s claim, while Senator Barbara Boxer’s staff is preparing to return the funds he raised for her campaign, out of concern over possible federal regulations that prohibit foreign nationals from directly or indirectly pouring money into US elections.
“There was no ‘meeting’ or ‘briefing’ between Consul General Goonewardena and President Obama. It was a very, very brief encounter in the photo line,” Shin Inouye, a director at the White House Office of Media Affairs told this writer.
Several Sri Lankan newspapers and websites reported Goonewardena’s version of his ‘meeting’ with Obama when he supposedly ‘briefed’ the US leader and discussed “the great potential for further developing the mutual cooperation between the two nations.” Based on a press release from the Consulate General’s office in Los Angeles, media reports said “The US President extended a cordial invitation to the Consul General to visit him at the White House at a mutually agreed time. The Consul General also met Senator Barbara Boxer and several Senators and Congressmen during this meeting.” A photo issued by the consulate shows Goonewardena standing beside a smiling Mr. Obama.
Mr. Inouye said the photo was taken at a fundraiser for Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer, held at the University of Southern California campus in Los Angeles.
Federal law prohibits foreign nationals, except those who hold permanent residency in the United States, from making contributions to elections in this country, or from directing others to do so. It is also unlawful for anyone to make campaign contributions in someone else's name.
Boxer’s campaign manager Rose Kapolczynski said that after reviewing the consul general’s claims her staff had done some ‘digging’ and determined that Goonewardena was invited to the event by a Boxer supporter, not by the campaign itself. While not donating directly, he took guests with him who did make contributions. “Mr. Goonewardena did not make a contribution but he invited other people to attend and they contributed.” When asked for the amounts contributed, Ms. Kapolczynski said she did not have the numbers handy. “We will be returning all those contributions to those people,” she said.
Ms. Kapolcynski added that about 350 people were at the Boxer fundraiser and that Goonewardena was among 75 of the senator’s supporters who were allowed into the ‘rope line and got to shake the President’s hand.’
She emphasized that the event was strictly a fundraiser with part of the monies collected going directly to the Boxer campaign and part of it to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. “There was no opportunity for policy discussions or any meetings. To avoid any misunderstanding and out of an abundance of caution [that it was anything other than a fundraiser], we have decided to return the monies,” she said.
According to reports, the fundraiser held October 23 at Ronald Tutor Campus Center at the University of Southern California, did not come cheap. Attendees each paid $1000 for a chicken & vegetables lunch, entertainment by Stevie Wonder, VIP Parking, and VIP seating at a rally that same afternoon where Obama addressed a crowd of about 30,000 supporters. Donors are said to have ponied up as much as $32,000 for a few private moments with the President and a photo op.
Goonewardena denied making a contribution but did not explain how he was able to obtain a photo op and the claimed meeting with the US president. “There [sic] has never been donations by me or by the Government of Sri Lanka to any political party of the United States. As a Sri Lankan I think you should be proud that I am currently building an excellent relationship with the US political hierarchy and extend your cooperation,” he declared loftily in an email to this writer.
Since his appointment to the consul general position in July this year, Goonewardena has bombarded the Sri Lankan community with a steady stream of emails in which he throws in specious and exaggerated claims. The emails are sent directly from the consulate office or by Jayam Rutnam, a former president of the Sri Lanka America Association of Southern California, who often exhorts Sri Lankans to ‘applaud’ the consul’s claimed achievements.
The FECA (Federal Election Commission Act) prohibition on foreign donations bars foreign nationals from participating in any donation activity such as raising and allocating funds or making decisions regarding donations (e.g., selecting the recipients, approving the making of donations, or approving the issuance of donation checks). If a campaign committee deposits a contribution that appears to be legal, but later discovers that the deposited contribution is directly or indirectly from a foreign national, it must refund the contribution within 30 days of making the discovery.
Foreign funding of American elections was a hot issue in the midterm election and continues to rage, with Democrats charging that the US Chamber of Commerce funneled foreign monies into Republican campaigns. “Don’t let them hijack your agenda. The American people deserve to know who’s trying to sway their election and you can’t stand by and let the special interests drown out the voices of the American people,” President Obama, who himself has been accused of getting millions from foreign donors for his 2008 presidential bid, thundered at an election rally. The liberal grassroots organization MoveOn.Org has asked the Department of Justice to initiate a criminal investigation into the US Chamber of Commerce, alleging it directly or indirectly solicited political donations from foreign sources.
In Mr. Goonewardena’s case, in addition to possible campaign law violations, there’s a protocol issue, of a foreign diplomat supporting a particular political party. In 2008, when the German Ambassador to the US attended a fundraiser for then candidate Obama, it drew media attention, and this response from George Washington University professor Edward Gnehm Jr, who served as a US ambassador to Jordan, Australia, and Kuwait: “Most ambassadors, and diplomats as a whole, wouldn’t really attend a fundraiser. That has a fairly specific purpose, and that’s not something we can participate in.” He added that to be effective, diplomats need to avoid being seen as “interfering in domestic politics, which isn’t acceptable in international norms.”
Hassina Leelarathna is a freelance writer living in California. She may be reached by email: hassinaleelarathna@gmail.com
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