Former Obama administration Department of Energy loan programs adviser Steve Spinner jumped up a bracket in fundraising for the president’s re-election campaign.
Spinner was the staffer inside Energy Secretary Steven Chu’s office who pushed and advocated on behalf of Solyndra. Spinner was ranked in the Obama campaign’s $250,000 to $500,000 bundling bracket in the second quarter, but third-quarter fundraising numbers released on Friday show he raised more than $500,000. (RELATED: Treasury official on Solyndra: Paying taxpayers took backseat to paying commercial firms for first time)
The information appears to indicate that Spinner has significantly accelerated his fundraising for the campaign over the past three months.
It also means President Barack Obama has not declined money from Spinner, even though he has been subjected to scrutiny by the ongoing congressional investigation into the scandal-afflicted Solyndra loan.
Spinner left the Energy Department in September 2010 and is now a senior fellow at the left-leaning Center for American Progress.