Clinton Cash: Influence Peddling and Hubris
In January, I wrote that the Clinton Foundation is nothing more than a political operation disguised as a charity. It exists to funnel money to, and to advance the brand of, the Clintons. To keep the excitement in their marriage, Bill and Hillary like to find new and exciting ways to engage in graft. Their foundation is like a Clinton or French marriage: It works better if no one asks questions.
In a rare feat of balanced journalism, The New York Times asked some questions. The paper looked into the nefarious activities of the Clinton Foundation and came up with instances of influence peddling on a grand scale. The Times used the upcoming book Clinton Cash, by Peter Schweizer, as a roadmap to determine that, while Hillary was Secretary of State, the Clintons got money when she approved the sale of important U.S. uranium reserves to seedy foreigners, including Russia (a.k.a. Vladimir Putin). Largely unaccounted for, the money flowed to the Clinton Foundation, with $500,000 going to Bill Clinton for a one-hour speech.
The Clintons' thirst for money and power is so insatiable that they would knowingly endanger our national security. Nothing will stand in the way of the Clintons becoming the first two-impeachment family.
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It's a great scam. Donors give money -- virtually anonymously -- to the politically connected Clintons, get a tax deduction, and the Clintons then pay them back with political favors.
As most Democrats do, they hide their greed and self-serving behind noble-sounding goals of promoting social equality or fighting global warming. Thus, the "Foundation" obscures their greed. "Look, I went to Haiti after the earthquake. And don't look -- my donors got reconstruction contracts."
Since leaving office, Bill and his accessory Hillary have amassed a net worth of $140 million. Just imagine how rich they would be if they were not "share the wealth" Democrats.
According to The Federalist, which reviewed Clinton Foundation tax documents covering 2008 to 2012, only 15% of the take was donated to pragmatic programs. $25 million went to fund travel and $110 million to salaries. An astounding $290 million, 60% of all money raised, was classified as "other expenses."
The Clintons put Chelsea Clinton in charge of re-filing foundation tax returns for five years to account for tens of millions in unreported foreign donations. Bill and Hillary probably made Chelsea handle the financial re-filing so she will be the only one who has to go to prison.
Their foundation is so corrupt that Charity Navigator won't rate it since they can't understand it.
Who would trust Bill Clinton as a philanthropist? Philanderer, yes, but not a philanthropist. Money is only given with the expectation of political favors. George Bush didn't try pull this scam, and at least Jimmy Carter aligned with an existing charity, Habitat for Humanity, to build houses for the needy.
Lawyers both, the wily Clintons will be hard to catch. Hotel staffs are required to sign non-disclosure agreements just to deliver food to Bill Clinton's room or to give Al Gore a massage.
Hillary is not answering questions on this newest scandal. She has been spending time in Iowa doing what comes so naturally to her: just a-mingling with the ordinary folks. She is letting them know she is just like them and puts on her pantsuits one leg at a time. The staged wallowing with "average" Americans is compulsory en route to the presidency. The goal is to get yourself to the Oval Office so you never have to mingle with ordinary folks again.
Hillary is also letting them know she is smart -- this from a woman who wants them to believe she didn't know she could get two email accounts (work and personal) on the same smart phone. Yep, she's smart. She knows just how dumb her voters are, and what they will believe from her.
Giving the Clintons the checkbook of a foundation is like giving your PIN to your alcoholic brother-in-law with a gambling problem who lives in your basement.
Hillary famously said she and Bill were not only broke but in debt when they left the White House. Yet they had a nice, three-story, multi-million dollar home near New York City. The Clintons have always had three stories: the one they tell the press, the truth, and the one they later tell a grand jury.
