Obama camp soliciting donations from China, Vietnam, other countries

According to a 109-page report released Monday by the Government Accountability Institute (GAI), the Obama campaign has solicited donations from a number of foreign nations, including China, Vietnam and Azerbaijan.

"Using a collection of online research tools, the Government Accountability Institute analyzed a portion of the foreign links that lead to the Obama campaign website, my.barackobama.com," the report said. "The Institute found a wide variety of instances in which apparent foreign
nationals either received solicitation emails or posted links to my.barackobama.com."

According to the report, a Chinese blogger reposted letters he received from the Obama campaign, each of which contains a solicitation for $3 or $5. The report observed that the "smaller donations don’t require the campaign to keep any record..."

The report says that the Obama campaign "sent a solicitation letter to 'Hikemt Hadjy-Zadh,' an Azerbaijani citizen," in August 2012.

"A writer in Vietnam writes on a website for the Vietnam Institute for Development Studies (a
government-backed think tank) and posts emails he has received from my.barackobama.com
with more than 24 total links to the campaign’s donate page embedded in the emails," the report added.

The report notes that one letter came from Mitch Stewart, Director of Obama's campaign arm, “Organizing for America.”

"Ironically," GAI reported, "Stewart laments that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is reportedly taking money from foreign sources. The reader is then prompted to give his name and email address and thereafter begins receiving solicitation letters for donations."

The campaign has also sent solicitation letters to a Dutch blogger, a "member of the Italian Radical Socialist movement," a Japanese blogger, a Norwegian blogger and a "blogger in Egypt who serves on the board of the Union of Arab Bloggers."

The Egyptian blogger says that while "Arabs and Muslims” support the “Democratic party, compared to the Republican Party,” they find his support for gay marriage "unacceptable," calling it "immoral and disgusting." They also oppose what they see as Obama's alignment with Israel.

The lengthy report also details security issues with credit card donations on candidate websites, and notes that in 2008, "Obama.com was purchased by an Obama fundraiser living in Shanghai, China, whose business is heavily dependent on relationships with Chinese state-run television and other state-owned entities."

Worse yet, the report says that "approximately 68% of Internet traffic going to Obama.com comes from foreign locations," according to data from Google Analytics.

"An examination of the backlinks going to Obama.com reveals that a strong majority is from foreign language or foreign-based websites," the report said.

"These websites do not appear to be catering to American expatriates."