How Fast Can Rahm Emanuel Return Jimmy John's Campaign Contributions?

By aaroncynic in News on Feb 18, 2011 8:20PM

Rahm Emanuel is returning $50,000 in campaign donations after questions surfaced regarding whether those donations violated the maximum of $10,000 allowed by a company, according to new state law. Greg Hinz at Crain’s reports that, after he made inquiries into 10 donations of $5,000 each by people with connections to Champaign-based Jimmy John’s, the Emanuel campaign decided to hand the money back “out of an abundance of caution and to avoid even the suggestion of impropriety.”

The donations came from top employees of the company and were the maximum level allowed for an individual donation according to state law that took effect on January 1st. The Emanuel campaign said that it had required donors to sign paperwork assuring they were giving of their own money. Jimmy John’s repeated the sentiment in the Emanuel campaign’s statement, saying that “there was never any intentional wrongdoing on the part of the company or its employees with regard to campaign laws, and all money is being returned."