McCain campaign returning donations

John McCain's campaign said this evening it will return about $50,000 in donations brought in by a prominent Florida businessman following disclosures that his Jordanian partner also may have engaged in fund-raising, the Associated Press reports.

The campaign had said earlier today it was reviewing the contributions and sending a letter to all donors who sent their contributions through Harry Sargeant III, the finance chairman of the Florida Republican Party. It's illegal for foreigners to contribute their own money to U.S. campaigns.

On Wednesday, The Washington Post reported that the donations were collected by Sargeant. The New York Times reported today that it appears that his long-time business partner, Mustafa Abu Naba'a, is at the center of a cluster of questionable donations to his presidential campaign.

Campaign finance records show McCain collected a little more than $50,000 in March from members of a single extended family, the Abdullahs, in California and several of their friends, the Times reported. The donations are also startling because of their size -- several donors initially wrote checks of $9,200, exceeding the $2,300 limit for an individual gift.