The Hill: New Emails Highlight Interaction between State, Clinton Foundation

[amborin]

New emails highlight interaction between State, Clinton Foundation

A conservative legal watchdog has released documents that it says show staffers to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton interacting with the Clinton Foundation.

Judicial Watch said the internal State Department documents show Clinton’s aides helping orchestrate her public thanks to organizations that had made a commitment to the Clinton Global Initiative. .......

snip

An August 2009 email chain shows Clinton’s staff at the department communicating with Clinton Foundation staff on how she could thank their supporters for “commitments” they made.

snip

The email chain additionally included Clinton’s former chief of staff, Huma Abedin, then-deputy chief of staff for Policy Jake Sullivan and Caitlin Klevorick, a former Foundation employee who became senior adviser to the counselor and chief of staff to the secretary of State.

snip

The Clinton Foundation has faced heightened scrutiny since the former secretary of State joined the White House race.

The State Department’s Office of Inspector General reportedly issued a subpoena to the Clinton Foundation last fall as part of an investigation into projects that may have required federal approval while she was secretary, according to The Washington Post.

snip

“Despite the law and her promises to the contrary, Hillary Clinton turned the State Department into the D.C. office of the Clinton Foundation,” he added of the current Democratic presidential front-runner.

http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/273930-documents-show-coordination-between-state-clinton

this article is from The Hill

[HooptieWagon]

1. drip, drip, drip....

She's not worth the risk.

[grasswire]

3. true dat nt

[appal_jack]

19. I can only envision three possibilities:

Yes, given the risk of Hillary, it seems like at least one of these scenarios play out.

1) Hillary is indicted before the Democratic Convention. Sanders would then be able to step up. And if the DNC types try to pick someone else, the Party would fracture irreparably.

2) Hillary is indicted after the Convention, during the GE. If this happens, Republicans almost certainly win.

3) Hillary is not indicted. If this happens, maybe she has a chance in the GE, but even so, Clinton corruption, the e-mail server, Clinton Foundation issues, etc. are all still issues in the GE. So maybe the Repub nominee wins. But if Hillary does make it through the GE without an indictment and with the majority of votes, what happens on 1/20/17? I'd say that the House opens an investigative committee on the above issues, and government is paralyzed from day 1.

None of these options sounds good to me. So, I agree, NOT worth the risk.

-app

[fun n serious]

20. They already announced no indictment. No law broken nt

[frylock]

21. Sure. Link?

[JonLeibowitz]

23. **cricket**

[frylock]

40. As expected.

[leveymg]

31. The WaPo says otherwise

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/clinton-foundation-received-subpoena-from-state-department-investigators/2016/02/11/ca5125b2-cce4-11e5-88ff-e2d1b4289c2f_story.html

There are at least three ongoing investigations into Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's time as Secretary of State. Here's an explanation of who is investigating, and why. (Gillian Brockell/The Washington Post)
By Tom Hamburger and Rosalind S. Helderman February 11

Investigators with the State Department issued a subpoena to the Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation last fall seeking documents about the charity’s projects that may have required approval from the federal government during Hillary Clinton’s term as secretary of state, according to people familiar with the subpoena and written correspondence about it.

The subpoena also asked for records related to Huma Abedin, a longtime Clinton aide who for six months in 2012 was employed simultaneously by the State Department, the foundation, Clinton’s personal office, and a private consulting firm with ties to the Clintons.

...

The potential consequences of the IG investigation are unclear. Unlike federal prosecutors, who generally use subpoenas issued by a grand jury, inspectors general frequently subpoena documents without seeking approval from a grand jury or judge.

But their power is limited. They are able to obtain documents, but they cannot compel testimony. At times, IG inquiries result in criminal charges, but sometimes they lead to administrative review, civil penalties or reports that have no legal consequences.

The IG has investigated Abedin before. Last year, the watchdog concluded she was overpaid nearly $10,000 because of violations of sick leave and vacation policies, a finding that Abedin and her attorneys have contested.

[Samantha]

25. I had my answer before I read your 3 options

I had to read no further than #1 because that is exactly what I think will happen.

I have a Republican brother in Florida with whom I never agree on politics. But he has been calling me a lot lately, and this week mentioned a story about a well-known Democrat appearing on FOX with a list of 16 violations of law Hillary has committed. I really had a lot of doubts about what he was saying because I just couldn't imagine any reputable person having such a list and appearing on that network. My brother told me to google it, and I would find the story. I did. Turned out to be Rudy Giuliani, as you probably know formerly a Democrat but now a Republican, and I believe an informal Trump advisor. However, the link I found had 16 counts, along with the section of the law that count violated. I read the list carefully, and from what I have read in the emails, I could easily see those being causes for an indictment.

Of course, having lived through Watergate, this is how stories in Washington start. Someone starts leaking information until the matter under discussion blows up into a full blown scandal. This smells exactly like that.


Sam

[grasswire]

26. correct

Not worth the risk especially when we have another choice; one whose ratings on honesty and trustworthiness are sky high. People trust him most to be Commander In Chief, and just generally trust him.

[Samantha]

24. I was going to post exactly that!

I think both of the Clintons are looking at serious problems.

Sam

[grasswire]

2. yeah, aides to the Secretary of State would arrange introductions with foreign..

..interests to Bill, and he would meet with them and come away with massive donations to the Foundation. I was reading about that yesterday.

[amborin]

4. me, too;

[AzDar]

5. So MANY skeletons...

[sadoldgirl]

6. And don't think that this whole mess

will just miraculously disappear.

We may all detest "Judicial watch", but if
they have the courts behind them, they will
certainly keep this up.

Again, and again, and again.

[grasswire]

7. yes, a Clinton appointed federal judge...

...is supervising this.

[amborin]

8. so how does that work?

[grasswire]

9. he either grants or denies JW requests, at this point.

For discovery, witnesses to interview, etc. AFIK.

[amborin]

10. thanks!

[amborin]

15. just saw this:

it's from March 3, so it's probably already known:

....last week Judge Emmet G. Sullivan of United States District Court in Washington allowed the questioning after a hearing in which he criticized the State Department’s “constant drip” of revelations about emails from the server and said there were many unanswered questions about who authorized its use.

“It just boggles the mind that the State Department allowed this circumstance to arise in the first place,” said Judge Sullivan, who was appointed to the District Court in 1994 by President Bill Clinton and to lower courts by Presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush. “It’s just very, very, very troubling.”

snip

Judge Sullivan’s ruling left open the possibility of additional testimony, including testimony from Mrs. Clinton. “I think there are some legitimate issues that arise because of this very atypical system that was created,” he said.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/03/us/politics/as-presidential-campaign-unfolds-so-do-inquiries-into-hillary-clintons-emails.html?_r=0

[CoffeeCat]

11. What a cluster

This is horrifying, having this hang over one of our Democratic candidates.

I fail to see how this can be hanging for much longer. I know the FBI isn't on any time table. However, you would think that they'd either move on this or wrap it up and let the public know that the investigation is complete and case closed.

This is such a black cloud over our party, over our primary and over our entire election process.

It really sucks.

[OhZone]

12. What a terrible thing.

Meeting people and giving to charity.

It's a charity.

And it looks like they found, what? One email chain saying something about thanks.

If that's all they got, after all these emails. some email chain expressing thanks for giving to a charity, it's pretty pathetic.


Geez.

[RiverLover]

14. And then those very charitable folks got some great deals from the state dept.

Any of this sinking in yet?

Major corruption any one?

[Peace Patriot]

16. A charity?

Sorry! I don't generally approve of unexplained laughter in response to a comment. But really, friend, do grow up! $$$ = POWER. At least, in their world. The power to BUY people. The power to buy endorsers. The power to punish opponents. The power to hob-nob with billionaire and trillionaire assholes like the Saudis and Donald Trump and Georgie Bush and Henry Kissinger. Floggers of women. Mass murderers. 'Charity,' at that level, has nothing to do with being charitable. And, anyway, she was SELLING deals through the Sec of State's office TO GET THAT MONEY!

That is what the FBI is after, believe me. Not classification errors.

[HereSince1628]

33. Clinton Foundation reports direct charity as about 10 percent

Its model as a charity is quite different than most charitable groups, in that rather than money or goods, it mostly hands out information.

In that way, they define their giving to include the overhead costs of developing that information. Those costs include value of travel, salaries/benefits, and 'other expenses' as integral parts of their 'charity'. Most charitable institutions consider such things as administrative costs.

Clinton Foundation has a mixed mission with direct charity as a lesser part. The balance of what CF 'gives' is really 'advice'.

[Octafish]

34. And people know what they say about ''free advice.''

Perhaps that's why CF advice costs so much, to make it "valuable."

[HereSince1628]

35. Another thing to consider is that advice and charity come via 'point of view'

I won't go so far as to say that all information is propaganda or that all gifts are bribes, but it's pretty much inevitable that advice and gifts reflect the mission of their producers and quietly, or not, are intended to cultivate shared belief.

[All in it together]

17. Looking at it very charitably she was using government employees and funds for the Clinton foundatio

Gosh, I think that is wrong. The foundation also received donations from countries that wanted and got more Military hardware.

[grasswire]

28. yes, including the Saudis.

It's damning.

[amborin]

18. there are plenty of informative OPs on here documenting major favors for donors and lobbyists

[Scuba]

36. Per Harpers, the Clinton Foundation is a "vehicle to launder money and to enrich family friends."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1251839560

[Punkingal]

13. What were they thinking?

It just makes me shake my head in disbelief. Did they think no one would notice?

[revbones]

22. Probably not. And if they did

then it's easy enough to divide them into 2 groups:

1. Clinton fan club - immune to any negative information on her
2. Others that they can discredit, attack, etc...

[grasswire]

27. there's another investigation brewing right now.

Rep. Marsha Blackburn is asking the FTC to investigate the Clinton Foundation as a sham charity.

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/lawmaker-demands-ftc-probe-into-clintons-sham-charity/article/2586473

[tex-wyo-dem]

29. Well, isn't this lovely...

I knew that as soon as it looked like Hillary would become the nominee, the scandals would start popping up like spring weeds in my backyard.

If Hill is so fortunate to actually become POTUS, the level of Repub obstruction will make Obama's administration look like a game of paddy-cake. The investigations will be non-stop.

[grasswire]

30. they ain't even warmed up yet. nt

[Wilms]

32. ^

[JoePhilly]

37. The indictment fairy, on call 24/7!

[FlatBaroque]

38. This is precisely the reason why She took the position at State

I wonder how much more effective Obama might have been were it not for Hillary running her own faction of government, for the purpose of personal enrichment and to ease her way into the nomination.

[UglyGreed]

39. Greed and corruption

and yet the supporters are too blind to see.