White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel in January contributed $2,000 from his House PAC account to Rep. Parker Griffith (Ala.), who is leaving the Democratic Party to become a Republican.



Before he started working in the Obama administration, Emanuel on Jan. 2 transferred the funds from his "Our Common Values" political action committee to the Alabama lawmaker, according to CQ Money Line.



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A White House aide said it is unclear at this point if Emanuel will ask Griffith to return the money.

Rep. Chris Van Hollen (Md.), who heads the House Democrats' campaign arm, called on Tuesday for Griffith to return money he has received from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC).

Five years ago, the DCCC asked Rep. Rodney Alexander (La.) to refund money after he switched parties to become a Republican. Alexander subsequently complied with the request under the threat of a lawsuit.









