By Douglas V. Gibbs
North Florida-based Congresswoman Corinne Brown is the latest Clinton superdelegate to receive an indictment for corruption and ethics violations. Brown allegedly received $800,000 from an organization called One Door For Education under false pretenses that the funds would be used for charitable purposes. One Door For Education touts itself as a nonprofit, but is not legally registered as such.
Brown is just one of several Clinton superdelegates to recently be exposed for fraudulent activity. Late last month, Congressman Chaka Fattah was convicted on charges of racketeering, corruption and stealing charitable funds. Sen. Bob Menendez, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Gov. Dannel Malloy and the former Virginia governor who served as Clinton’s 2008 campaign chair, Terry McAuliffe, are also in the midst of corruption probes.
It would appear that only Hillary and Bill truly seem to understand how to launder funds for political favors, with the Clinton Foundation front and center for aspiring pupils of white-collar crime.
Hillary’s deputy chief of staff, Huma Abedin, received money from the Clinton Foundation (while employed by the State Department) and from Teneo Consulting—a firm owned by a close Clinton associate, Declan Kelly. Kelly built his network while working at the State Department under Hillary Clinton. In April, Politicoreported that Kelly’s relationship with Clinton’s State Department, “represents a fresh illustration of the blurring of the lines between Hillary Clinton’s political network and her State Department that critics have long noted.”
In 2011, ABC News revealed Rajiv Fernando, a Clinton Foundation donor, was appointed to an Intelligence Board at the State Department by Clinton despite having no background or qualifications for the role. Shortly after ABC began asking questions, Fernando quietly resigned.
The Clinton Foundation also paid Sidney Blumenthal $200,000 a month to adviseHillary Clinton on State Department matters. According to The Hill, the FBI has yet to rule out the Clinton Foundation‘s influence on Hillary Clinton‘s State Department, as there have been multiple conflicts of interest between the two.
An investigation by Vox revealed at least 181 Clinton Foundation donors lobbied the State Department while Hillary Clinton served as secretary of state. UBS, for example, paid Bill Clinton $1.5 million in speaking fees shortly after Hillary Clintonhelped the Swiss bank settle a lawsuit with the IRS—for a fraction of what the IRS initially sought.
Clinton Foundation donations have also been linked to State Department favors for weapons manufacturers and foreign governments. Peter Schweitzer’s book, Clinton Cash, cites four trustees of the Clinton Foundation charged with or convicted of financial crimes. Aside from the security risks her private email server posed, evidence suggests Clinton’s intent was not convenience, but rather to circumvent FOIA laws.
Finish Reading at the Observer. . .
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
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