US News

PIRRO OFFERS $ENATE REFUND

Jeanine Pirro (left) will not transfer any funds raised for her now-defunct U.S. Senate race against Sen. Hillary Clin ton into her campaign for New York attorney general, The Post has learned.

Despite having more than $360,000 – most of which could legally be moved to the new race – on hand as of late September, Pirro will start from scratch in her run for the state’s top legal post.

“No funds from the Senate campaign will be transferred and used in the attorney general’s race,” Pirro’s communications director, Andrea Tantaros, told The Post.

Pirro will return her Senate-race donations to donors who request refunds, sources said. Last week, The Post reported that some contributors had said they didn’t want their funds transferred to an attorney-general run because they had given the money specifically in the hope of ousting Clinton.

It was unclear how much Pirro will have left in her Senate account after she returns those donations and pays outstanding bills.

Earlier yesterday, Democratic attorney-general candidate Charlie King sent an “open letter” to Pirro-for-Senate donors, encouraging them to affirm their financial support in writing, now that Pirro is running for a different office, or request a refund.

On Thursday, former mayoral candidate Mark Green fired off a letter to Pirro, accusing her of violating federal election regulations by continuing to solicit contributions on a Web site dedicated to her Senate run, despite having dropped out a day earlier.

* Cox again eyes Senate run: P.4