Gov candidate Kucinich to return $20K to pro-Syrian government group

Dennis Kucinich

Dennis Kucinich

Former U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich is returning a $20,000 speaking fee he received last year from a group sympathetic to Syrian President Bashar Assad.

The Democratic candidate for Ohio governor announced his decision in a letter sent Thursday to The Plain Dealer.

Kucinich had come under mounting political pressure after news reports revealed that the Association for Investment in Popular Action Committees was the parent organization to the pro-Assad Syrian Solidarity Movement.

Kucinich said he was unaware of the connection when he took the umbrella group’s money.

Kucinich initially omitted the speaking fee from his required financial disclosure filing. He wrote that was "unintentional."

He reiterated that the speech he delivered in London was about ways to find peace in Syria.

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