Sale of Michigan company to China may haunt Clinton

[magical thyme]

http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2015/06/05/clinton-sale-michigan-china-gop/28525387/

WASHINGTON – National Republican Party officials are questioning why Hillary Rodham Clinton did not intervene in the controversial 2013 sale of high-tech battery plants in Michigan to a Chinese firm when she was secretary of State and could have done so.

At a campaign stop in New Hampshire last month, Clinton, the leading Democratic candidate for president, expressed concerns about the sale of A123 Systems — built with millions in government aid — along with those of other new energy firms, to Chinese investors, calling them "unfortunate" and a "serious" problem for high-tech industries in the U.S.

Review not taken

It does appear, however, that if Clinton had security concerns about Wanxiang gaining A123's technology, she and the agency she led could have moved to investigate it, which, at least according to congressional researchers, typically leads to about half of all transactions being abandoned.

Several members of Congress, including both of Michigan's U.S. Democratic senators and a bipartisan group of congressmen, urged such a review; as did the Strategic Materials Advisory Council, a group that noted that though Wanxiang had excluded A123's defense contracts from its purchase, it was still obtaining "91 patents for sensitive military and space battery technology."

[Make7]

1. Republican Party: We need more government oversight. ( n/t )

[NCTraveler]

2. National Republican Party officials are questioning. nt.

[magical thyme]

3. regardless of it being the GOP asking, sooner or later

they will have to answer.

This just shows more of their line of attack.

[NCTraveler]

4. I don't think they will have to answer to this as you do.

It does show their line of attack. I agree with that. Any dem currently in the primary best not spend their time answering right wing attacks. That would show great weakness and give them power they don't deserve. So no, they do not have to answer to wingers. It would make no sense for them to do so.

[magical thyme]

5. while it's coming from the GOP, I agree

I also think she is smart not to sit down with the press at this point. But obviously eventually she will have to. Since the press picked this up and took some time to research it, that suggests to me that there's a good chance she will be asked about it.

[NCTraveler]

6. Her answer.

"You are asking me questions about a right wing witch hunt. They have been doing it to me for decades and they have nothing. They continue to do so and the American people have woken up. Get with Gowdy for your talking points and bring some fresh conspiracy theories to the table. You truly have no interest in reporting to the American people how the republicans are eroding voting rights, Do you Mr. so and so."

Progressives cheer as she just told the truth, shit on the right wing, and made yet another connection of how the media works for republicans.

That is approximately a seven second response that would be perfect. Once again, she does not need to answer to right wingers. If she is directly asked the question, almost all democrats and many women on the republican side would have great respect for an answer like that.

[magical thyme]

7. would be perfect, but it's not how they responded if you actually read the article. nt

[HornBuckler]

8. I agree with that, though I do think they will continue to bring things like these up.

Call them all right wing witch hunts, which is likely in most if not all cases but after a while people will say "She keeps saying they are attacking her over and over and she keeps excusing everything brought against her as a right wing witch hunt". I think people not really into politics will give some of these accusations credence if she always excuses them as having no validity. I don't think that is fair if all of the accusations are bunk but it won't matter. The volume of their attacks will be large and I just don't think ignoring and dismissing everything will work.

What might work would be to acknowledge some mistakes were made and to elaborate on the process and decisions made behind some of these accusations against her. That might not work either, but it's all I can think of. I really think Hillary is going to have a lot of noise to contend with if she gets the nomination.