On the June 18 edition of CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight, host Lou Dobbs falsely claimed that the Chicago Sun-Times reported that Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama (IL) “received at least $168,000 from” indicted businessman Antoin “Tony” Rezko. But the Sun-Times did not report that Obama received $168,000 from Rezko, nor could he have; it reported in a June 18 article that “Obama has collected at least $168,308 from Rezko and his circle” -- an assertion that, the article reported, is itself disputed by the Obama campaign.

According to the Center for Responsible Politics, Rezko donated $11,500 to Obama's 2004 Senate campaign, as well as $1,000 to Obama's unsuccessful 2000 campaign for an Illinois House seat, not the $168,000 Dobbs claimed the Sun-Times reported. Rezko's wife, Rita, donated $1,500 to Obama's 2004 Senate campaign and $1,000 to Obama's 2000 House campaign. As The New York Times explained in an April 3 article: “Mr. Obama was able to accept up to $12,000 from each donor, or six times the limit at that time,” because he was running against “a self-financed opponent in the Democratic primary.”

The Sun-Times reported that “Obama has collected at least $168,308 from Rezko and his circle. Obama also has taken in an unknown amount of money from people who attended fund-raising events hosted by Rezko since the mid-1990s.” The Sun-Times further reported that “the campaign was sticking by its original estimate that Rezko raised no more than $60,000.”

From the June 18 edition of CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight:

DOBBS: New revelations about campaign contributions to Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama: those contributions from an indicted businessman.

The Chicago Sun-Times, reporting that Senator Obama received at least $168,000 from that businessman. Obama says he, however, accepted only $50,000 to $60,000 of that money. The Illinois Democrat still reeling from criticism over a memorandum attacking Democratic rival Senator Hillary Clinton's ties to India.

From the June 18 Chicago Sun-Times article:

During his 12 years in politics, Sen. Barack Obama has received nearly three times more campaign cash from indicted businessman Tony Rezko and his associates than he has publicly acknowledged, the Chicago Sun-Times has found.

Obama has collected at least $168,308 from Rezko and his circle. Obama also has taken in an unknown amount of money from people who attended fund-raising events hosted by Rezko since the mid-1990s.

But seven months ago, Obama told the Sun-Times his “best estimate” was that Rezko raised “between $50,000 and $60,000” during Obama's political career."

[...]

The donor list includes six people involved in the two federal indictments of Rezko. Obama earlier this month said he is donating to charity contributions totaling $22,000 from three of those people. Last year, he donated $11,500 in contributions from Rezko.