Dole Backs Probe of Funds to His Campaign

Sen. Bob Dole said Sunday that he doesn’t know if his presidential campaign received thousands of dollars in illegal contributions from workers at a Massachusetts sporting goods company but that the allegation should be investigated.

“As far as I know it’s an allegation that’s been made and ought to be checked. If somebody did that, they’re in deep trouble,” Dole said on CBS-TV’s “Face the Nation.”

The campaign contributions, allegedly made last year, were reported Sunday in the Kansas City Star.

The allegations were made by three people who wrote checks to the campaign, the newspaper said in a copyright story. The company, Aqua-Leisure Industries, is run by Simon C. Fireman, a national vice chairman of finance for Dole’s campaign. Last year, Fireman, his workers and their families sent the campaign 40 individual checks totaling $40,000.

The three contributors, who asked not to be identified for fear of retribution, told the Star that some workers were handed stacks of $100 bills and told to return with checks made out to “Dole for President.” They reported personally receiving $4,000. Two other people claimed to know about the incident, the newspaper said.

“I knew it was illegal--especially when they gave me cash,” it quoted one contributor as saying. “You just don’t see people with that kind of cash.”

Federal rules bar individuals from giving more than $1,000 per election to a candidate’s campaign committee and from giving money in the name of another person. They also forbid companies to pay someone to make a contribution.

The Star said that in interviews, at least nine contributors affiliated with Aqua-Leisure denied they were reimbursed. Many others could not be reached for comment or did not return telephone calls. Four contributors would neither confirm nor deny that they were repaid.