Was This The Right Time for Clinton to Ask for Money in Mexico?

SAN DIEGO -- There's a big difference between not having to defend yourself in a court of law and prevailing in the court of public opinion.

In politics, just because something is legal doesn't mean it is advisable. There might be a public relations issue. Or maybe the optics are bad. Or the timing could be wrong. Perhaps it just raises too many questions.

Hillary Clinton's campaign recently did something that should raise eyebrows -- even though the practice is legal, if done by the book.

According to media reports, the campaign held two fundraisers in Mexico hosted by Clinton campaign treasurer Jose Villarreal: a dinner co-hosted by Wal-Mart lobbyist Ivan Zapien, and a breakfast at the home of Mexican academic Alejandra Rangel Smith. Clinton didn't attend either event.

While presidential campaigns have in the past raised money abroad, Mexico has largely been overlooked. Not anymore.

The donors who attended the Clinton campaign events presumably live in Mexico, but under election law, they had to assert that they were U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents of the United States.

For some people, that ends the matter. It shouldn't. There's no way of knowing that the Clinton campaign met this requirement. Like any fundraiser on foreign soil, whether it's for a Democrat or a Republican, it can be very hard to scrutinize what actually occurs.

Even the law isn't black and white. Funny thing. When politicians write laws about fundraising, they never forget to include loopholes. Like this one: Technically, it's against federal election law for candidates to accept campaign contributions from foreign sources. But the law doesn't require a campaign to disclose the source of contributions under $200. A campaign might raise millions of dollars in small amounts and only report the specific details about a tiny fraction of the total to the Federal Election Commission.

But this isn't just about what's legal. It's about what looks right. And this doesn't look right.

Consider the delicate relationship between Mexico and the United States. Mexico isn't just a friend, ally, trading partner. It's also -- in the immigration debate -- an adversary whose interests do not align with those of the United States.

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