Puffy's funds were received in October 1999, well before the events that led to his being indicted on weapons charges (see [article id="1427304"]"Puffy Maintains Innocence As Grand Jury Hands Down Weapons Indictment"[/article]).

When the Clinton campaign was questioned on its acceptance of Puffy's gift, spokesperson Howard Wolfson told the "Daily News" they have no intention of returning the money. "We believe in the presumption of innocence," he said.

In addition to Puffy, Hillary has received contributions from Tom Cruise and his wife Nicole Kidman, Tom Hanks, Barbra Streisand, Martin Scorsese, and DreamWorks executives Steven Spielberg, David Geffen, and Jeffrey Katzenberg.

[Clinton is] a champion of the arts," Wolfson posited, "and she's running against a guy who tried to shut down a museum," referring to New

York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani's campaign against the Brooklyn Museum Of Art, which housed the controversial "Sensations" exhibit in the fall of 1999.

So far, the First Lady has raised $8 million in contributions, about a million shy of her rival Rudy Giuliani's $8.9 million.