The cash donations Hillary simply has no answer for

[pinebox]

And this is one reason why Bernie has my vote. Stuff like this should be of a huge concern but Hillary is often given a pass...
This to me absolutely screams corruption!

The cash donations Hillary simply has no answer for
http://www.salon.com/2015/05/31/the_cash_donations_hillary_simply_has_no_answer_for_partner/

Among all the rivers of money that have flowed to the Clinton family, one seems to raise the biggest national security questions of all: the stream of cash that came from 20 foreign governments who relied on weapons export approvals from Hillary Clinton’s State Department.

Federal law designates the secretary of state as “responsible for the continuous supervision and general direction of sales” of arms, military hardware and services to foreign countries. In practice, that meant that Clinton was charged with rejecting or approving weapons deals — and when it came to Clinton Foundation donors, Hillary Clinton’s State Department did a whole lot of approving.

While Clinton was secretary of state, her department approved $165 billion worth of commercial arms sales to Clinton Foundation donors. That figure from Clinton’s three full fiscal years in office is almost double the value of arms sales to those countries during the same period of President George W. Bush’s second term.

The Clinton-led State Department also authorized $151 billion of separate Pentagon-brokered deals for 16 of the countries that gave to the Clinton Foundation. That was a 143 percent increase in completed sales to those nations over the same time frame during the Bush administration. The 143 percent increase in U.S. arms sales to Clinton Foundation donors compares to an 80 percent increase in such sales to all countries over the same time period.

American military contractors and their affiliates that donated to the Clinton Foundation — and in some cases, helped finance speaking fees to Bill Clinton — also got in on the action. Those firms and their subsidiaries were listed as contractors in $163 billion worth of arms deals authorized by the Clinton State Department.

[upaloopa]

1. Here we go Clinton Cash again! How does it feel to carry water for the right wing?

[Faux pas]

2. Ah the old if your not for hrc

you must be defending the right wing? What a strong argument for the Goldwater democrat. lolololol

[DemocratSinceBirth]

5. Res ipsa loquitur

Ah the old if your (sp) not for hrc



you must be defending the right wing? What a strong argument for the Goldwater democrat. lolololol

When Hillary Rodham’s high school government teacher in Park Ridge, Ill., insisted she play the role of Lyndon B. Johnson in a mock debate of the 1964 presidential election, she protested.



Ms. Rodham, one of the school’s standout debaters, was a proud Barry Goldwater supporter (she wore a hat with an “AuH2O” logo) and an active member of the Young Republicans. But the teacher, Jerry Baker, was intent on challenging her to argue the other side.

Always a dutiful student, she agreed, settling into the library to pore for hours over Johnson’s positions on civil rights, foreign policy and health care. She prepared with such ardor and delivered such a compelling case that she even convinced herself. By the time Ms. Rodham graduated from college, she was a Democrat.


http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/11/us/politics/in-debate-hillary-clinton-will-display-skills-honed-over-a-lifetime.html?_r=0

[JDPriestly]

34. Hillary is unelectable.

These deals are a photograph of corruption. The Republicans will feature them in ad after ad.

Hillary is just not electable.

She appears to be the image of corruption.

The e-mail and Benghazi scandals are ridiculous and yet look at the hay the Republicans have made with them.

This scandal is much more incriminating, looks much worse and appears to have some substance.

Hillary should have chosen either to have a foundation or to run for office.

She should not be involved in any way with both at once.

These donations look like kick-backs.

And we have not yet discussed deals with the H1-B visas and so many other giveaways by Hilary.

Sorry. But Hillary is unelectable.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

36. Opinions are like pulses, everybody has one.

Sorry. But Hillary is unelectable.

Opinions are like pulses, everybody has one.

http://www.predictwise.com/politics/2016president


The polls, history, and the predictions markets suggest Hillary Clinto is better positioned to be our 45th president than any of her Democratic and Republican opponents.

[thesquanderer]

39. I don't think this is so damaging.

You and I often agree, but I'll be surprised if this becomes much of an issue. It's old, it's complicated, and there's no hard proof of anything wrong. I'm not suggesting that I don't find the situation problematic, I just don't think the Republicans would succeed at getting too many people really worked up about it.

And really how do they make the case "Why did these governments give the Clintons so much money if they weren't expecting something in return" without setting up the next question "Why do my donors give me so much money if they're not expecting something in return?" The pots are just going to give the kettle a pass on this one.

[JDPriestly]

41. Don Siegelman is still in jail for far less.

It's the appearance of corruption, and the amounts of money are very large when you add them together. That's really pretty awful in my book.

If someone in some other country did that, we would be outraged.

[uponit7771]

10. Nah, it's the if it sounds right wing, if it looks right wing, if it walks right wing... etc etc

[pinebox]

6. How does it feel to support the 1%?

It's hilarious you say I'm carrying the water for the RW when in fact Hillary's polices are more in touch with just that very thing.
It's sad that you aren't questioning this and instead let stuff slide under the bus. I bet you did the same too didn't you a year ago when she wasn't defending gay marriage.

[SoapBox]

16. It's just their VERY usual operating method.

They are predictable!

[CentralMass]

15. The article appeared on Salon.com, a liberal site, and was wrtten by Davd Sirota, a Democrat.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Sirota

[orpupilofnature57]

27. Not an answer is it . Fear breeds fear .

[Faux pas]

3. Kickin'

because the darkness needs to be lit up.

[99th_Monkey]

4. K&R - Clinton's millions somehow keep being ignored, and the source thereof.

This stuff needs more exposure, esp her Wall St. backers.

[whatchamacallit]

7. Her supporters have an answer

It's the same answer as with everything else: Who cares, did you see her hair?

[pinebox]

8. lol

Basically

[Persondem]

9. No proof of a quid pro quo. It was garbage in May and it's still garbage now.

Recycling old news is a sign of desperation.

[pinebox]

12. Desperation

Playing the gender card during the debates is a sign of desperation. Now what? http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/10/bernie-sanders-hillary-clinton-debate/410449/

[Persondem]

14. When you are up 25%, desperation doesn't enter into it. nt.

[pinebox]

20. When you're underwater

in your favorability & trustworthy ratings, it sure as hell is

[leftofcool]

23. Ya'll keep trying.

You got nothing else, you might as well include a charity into your favorite non scandal mix.

[pinebox]

32. Keep trying?

It's not hard when this exists. Let's take a look at career contributions and donations shall we?
I could write you a novel on why Sanders is a better choice.

[rynestonecowboy]

37. This tells a story.

A story that is hard to ignore but many on DU wish not to talk about or claim its a non issue.

[Persondem]

24. Excuse me. This whole thread is a rehash of very old news and you are trying to tag

Clinton supporters as desperate!?!? ... Pulleeze!!!

Whatever her favorability ratings are she's kicking the crap out of everyone else.

And hey, Clinton-land is a happy place these days. Have a nice day

[pinebox]

33. Ya you keep believing that

Sadly, in a general, having negative numbers doesn't equal bringing out voters.

[JDPriestly]

42. She won't be elected if nominated. Quid pro quo is for courtrooms, not for the courtroom of the

media.

[marym625]

11. There's so much that is suspect

And shows poor judgment, that support for her, imho, is also suspect. Not with the average American, I mean the oligarchs and the corporatists.,

For the average American supporting her, I truly, without any sarcasm, do not understand it. I just can't. With this, the IRW vote and speech pushing for war, the warmongering, the No Child Left Behind vote, and quite a few other things, it makes zero sense to me

[SoapBox]

17. And brings up this recurring word...

trust.

[marym625]

18. Exactly!

[BeanMusical]

21. "I truly, without any sarcasm, do not understand it."

I'm totally flummoxed as well.

[marym625]

22. I think most of us are. n/t

[rynestonecowboy]

38. Count me in too.

I haven't posted in DU for awhile now but was shocked to read some of the garbage on here and couldn't stay away. Lots of the arguments and supportive comments of HRC almost look like talking points posted by shills but if you look at these folks accounts they have been members for years. This has me confused and worried.

[Persondem]

13. The government of Taiwan had an answer...

UPDATE (7:38pm, 5/26/15): In an emailed statement, a spokeswoman for the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office told IBTimes: "Taiwan’s 2003 donation was for the fund to build the Clinton Presidential Library. This was way before Mrs. Clinton was made the U.S. Secretary of State. We have neither knowledge nor comments concerning other issues."

Bolding added.


From the original IBT article.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

19. I'm sure the military contractors were contributing out of pure altruism and love of peace.

[JDPriestly]

25. K&R. This is why Hillary is unelectable.

Sorry, guys.

How many deaths did these weapons cause?

As just one of many examples, in its 2011 Human Rights Report, Clinton’s State Department slammed Algeria’s government for imposing “restrictions on freedom of assembly and association,” tolerating “arbitrary killing,” “widespread corruption” and a “lack of judicial independence.”

That year, the Algerian government donated $500,000 to the Clinton Foundation and the next year Clinton’s State Department approved a one-year 70 percent increase in military export authorizations to the country. The jump included authorizations for almost 50,000 items classified as “toxicological agents, including chemical agents, biological agents and associated equipment.” The State Department had not authorized the export of any of such items to Algeria the year before.

http://www.salon.com/2015/05/31/the_cash_donations_hillary_simply_has_no_answer_for_partner/

My hat off to David Sirota for this courageous reporting!!!

Either the Clintons run their non-profit (which I'm sure is doing lots of wonderful things in the world and I am not being sarcastic) or they run the US government.

These deals and the subsequent, preceding or simultaneous donations to the Clinton Foundation may be purely coincidental, but they leave an odor of rotting bodies on the presidential campaign trail.

Arms sales. Do we export anything other than food and arms? If so, just what? And have the exports of other things increased or decreased over the past 30 years?

What is the real story on our trade!

[tularetom]

35. The quid pro quos are numerous but who is going to call her on it?

Bernie Sanders is too much of a party loyalist (even though he really isn't in the party) or just too much of a decent human being.

And if Clinton actually is the party's nominee, the republicans will be strangely silent because many of them are feedin at the very same trough.

[orpupilofnature57]

26. You are what you eat. Period

[quickesst]

28. That rock....

....has been turned over time and again with zero results. But keep on sitting there, staring at it, and every few minutes turn it over real fast. Try using an ultra high speed camera. Maybe one day, you might capture the evidence that has been so elusive for so many over the last twenty+ years.

[Doctor_J]

29. part of the dc rot. nothing will change if she somehow gets elected

Her presidency would be nearly indistinguishable from that of JEB!

[99Forever]

30. The answer is plain as day to anyone...

...with at least half a functioning brain. It goes by a number of names, none of them flattering.

[tularetom]

31. She'll slime by on this because the same guys are heavy republican donors

So if she makes it into the general election, the republicans will never bring up this whole corrupt rotten business.

She's part of the big club that the rest of us ain't in.

[BeanMusical]

40. Kick and R

[Scuba]

43. Didn't she promise no hint of corruption? Sorry, I just can't trust her.

[appalachiablue]

44. K & R. Interesting Salon article on Clinton resources.