Politics

Barney Frank scrambles for cash, finds some in own pocket

Jonathan Strong Jonathan Strong, 27, is a reporter for the Daily Caller covering Congress. Previously, he was a reporter for Inside EPA where he wrote about environmental regulation in great detail, and before that a staffer for Rep. Dan Lungren (R-CA). Strong graduated from Wheaton College (IL) with a degree in political science in 2006. He is a huge fan of and season ticket holder to the Washington Capitals hockey team. Strong and his wife reside in Arlington.
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After a series of difficult moments on the campaign trail, Rep. Barney Frank is scrambling for campaign cash, contributing $200,000 of his own money as he seeks to ward off his first serious Republican challenger in decades.

The donation, which has to hurt as Frank is not all that wealthy compared to his congressional colleagues, according to his financial disclosure forms, is the latest indication that Frank is in serious trouble in the race.

Frank is under fire for accepting a private jet ride from a billionaire hedge fund head to the Virgin Islands for a few sun-filled days of R&R. As chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, Frank oversees the hedge fund industry.

He’s also in hot water because his boyfriend, Jim Ready, heckled GOP candidate Sean Bielat at a campaign event, telling Bielat, “quit the jokes, dude, you’re not funny at all.”

Besides donating his own cash, numerous bankers from New York City are stepping in to give Frank a last-minute boost.

Financial disclosure forms reveal that in one 48-hour reporting period, Frank received more than $18,000 from a collection of bankers and lawyers in New York, New York.

A spokeswoman for Bielat took a dig at Frank’s financial difficulties.

“As he now admits, he didn’t know in 2003 that Fannie and Freddie were in trouble, but he sure knows he’s in trouble now!” said Lisa Barstow.