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.

The Mexican economy isn't strong enough to produce a job for every able-bodied Mexican worker who needs one. If all these workers were trapped inside Mexico, the economy would capsize. Protesters would fill the streets. So Mexico encourages its people to head north. And, once they arrive in the United States, Mexicans start working and send home about $25 billion annually in remittances, which strengthens the Mexican economy. So for Mexico, illegal immigration into the United States is a win-win, and something it would like to see continue.

However, many Americans think Mexico is playing Uncle Sam for a sucker. A lot of them are supporting Donald Trump, who has promised that, if elected, he'll build a giant and "beautiful" wall along the U.S.-Mexico border and send our neighbor the bill.

How are Mexico's leaders responding? Not well. Recently, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto compared Trump to Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini. And a few weeks ago, his predecessor, Vicente Fox, said that there was no way that Mexico would pay for Trump's "[bleeping] wall."

Like it or not, Trump has ignited a rhetorical war with Mexico. For nine months, ever since he referred to Mexican immigrants as criminals and rapists, the billionaire has been attacked and ridiculed by everyone from Mexican rock musicians to the manufacturers of Trump pinatas.

And amid this cross-border tension, the Clinton campaign didn't think about how it would look for it to go to Mexico and raise money?

Were these fundraisers even worth the potential controversy? The campaign already has plenty of money, having raised more than $100 million so far in trying to win the Democratic nomination. You know what the Clinton campaign could really use? The trust of the American people. Stories like this don't help.

When contacted by a reporter about the Mexican fundraisers, the Clinton campaign did not respond to comment.

We've been here before, and we'll likely be here again. The Clintons always push the envelope, especially when it comes to money.

After all, there are still unanswered questions about fundraising for the Clinton Foundation and concerns that foreign entities might have received preferential treatment from the Clinton State Department after making donations.

And yet this time, by going south of the border with their tin cup, the Clintons may have gone too far.

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Ruben Navarrette's email address is ruben@rubennavarrette.com.