Eric Cantor Tied to Rabbi Whose Aide Is at Center of Probe
An influential rabbi whose former aide is embroiled in a campaign finance investigation has ties to one of the most powerful members of Congress, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, according to interviews and an examination of campaign filings by Al-Monitor's Laura Rozen.
UPDATE: This article was updated Aug. 26 to note that the top seven donors to Eric Cantor’s 2008 campaign are all followers or associates of Rabbi Pinto.
An influential rabbi whose former aide is embroiled in a campaign finance investigation has ties to one of the most powerful members of Congress, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor.
Ofer Biton, a former aide to the Rabbi Yoshiyahu Yosef Pinto, was arrested by the FBI on immigration fraud charges last week. Biton, an Israeli citizen, had also served as a fundraiser to Rep. Michael Grimm, a Republican from New York's Staten Island. Recent media reports indicate that Grimm is being investigated for having possibly accepted illegal campaign contributions from members of Pinto’s congregation.
Interviews and an examination of campaign filings by Al-Monitor show that Pinto also has ties to Cantor, the Virginia Republican who is the second most powerful member of the US House of Representatives. There is no evidence of any impropriety in Cantor’s contacts with Rabbi Pinto. Lawyers for Grimm and Biton, in recent media reports, have both denied any wrongdoing by their clients. Pinto allies cast him and his congregation as the victim of malfeasance by an estranged aide.
