Clinton: Retiring the debt
Posted: Tuesday, June 10, 2008 9:16 AM by Mark Murray
The New York Times looks at Clinton's attempt to pay down her debt, and in the process calls it the largest debt in presidential campaign history. "Clinton’s options for retiring her debt are limited. On the positive side, she has raised about $1 million online and by mail since polls closed in Montana and South Dakota last Tuesday to end the primary season, her campaign said. The continued flow of donations, even after Senator Barack Obama had crossed the threshold of delegates he needed to claim the nomination, may indicate that some of Mrs. Clinton’s supporters may be devoted enough to pitch in to help with her debt."
VIDEO: In the Hardball Big Number, Chris Matthews takes a look at the $109,823 Sen. Hillary Clinton spent on each delegate she won.
More: "There is technically no deadline for Mrs. Clinton to pay back her creditors, but because of a clause in the McCain-Feingold campaign finance measure that was intended to limit the ability of candidates to self-finance campaigns, she has until the convention in August to pay herself back. After that, the most she could recover is $250,000. Mrs. Clinton could also whittle down her debt by re-negotiating what she owes with her various creditors, but the Federal Election Commission would have to sign off to ensure that a good-faith effort was made to pay off the debt. It also must be satisfied that the renegotiated bills do not amount to an in-kind donation from a corporation to Mrs. Clinton’s campaign."