Even better than the connection to Bernie Schwartz, the Washington Post yesterday noted that Sant S. Chatwal, an Indian American businessman, has helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s campaigns. According to the Post, the IRS pursued him for approximately $4 million in unpaid business taxes, while New York state placed a lien seeking more than $5 million in taxes… three Indian banks forced him into U.S. bankruptcy, and he was charged with bank fraud.”

The Post notes, with the closest thing you can get to dry sarcasm in a front-page story, “Chatwal recently said he plans to help raise $5 million from Indian Americans for Clinton’s presidential bid.”

They also note this oddly convenient deal:

In September 2000, Chatwal hosted a half-million dollar fundraiser at that Upper East Side penthouse for Hillary Clinton’s Senate campaign.
A few months later the FDIC abruptly settled the case, agreeing on Dec. 18, 2000, to let Chatwal pay $125,000 for the loans that it had said caused at least $12 million in losses.

Man, lucky break when federal authorities only hold you accountable for one hundredth of the mess…