Emails reveal how foundation donors got access to Clinton and her close aides at State Dept.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

I didn't see this posted. If it's a duplicate, please let me know.

Emails reveal how foundation donors got access to Clinton and her close aides at State Dept.

By Rosalind S. Helderman, Spencer S. Hsu and Tom Hamburger
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August 22 at 7:18 PM 

A sports executive who was a major donor to the Clinton Foundation and whose firm paid Bill Clinton millions of dollars in consulting fees wanted help getting a visa for a British soccer player with a criminal past.

The crown prince of Bahrain, whose government gave more than $50,000 to the Clintons’ charity and who participated in its glitzy annual conference, wanted a last-minute meeting with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

U2 rocker and philanthropist Bono, also a regular at foundation events, wanted high-level help broadcasting a live link to the International Space Station during concerts.

In each case, according to emails released Monday from Hillary Clinton’s time as secretary of state, the requests were directed to Clinton’s deputy chief of staff and confidante, Huma Abedin, who engaged with other top aides and sometimes Clinton herself about how to respond. ... The emails show that, in these and similar cases, the donors did not always get what they wanted, particularly when they sought anything more than a meeting.
....

Rosalind Helderman is a political enterprise and investigations reporter for the Washington Post.  Follow @PostRoz
Spencer S. Hsu is an investigative reporter, two-time Pulitzer finalist and national Emmy award nominee.
Tom Hamburger covers the intersection of money and politics for The Washington Post.  Follow @thamburger

ETA, 2:13 p.m.: This article is on the front page, above the fold, in the right hand column, of Tuesday morning's Washington Post.

[NCTraveler]

1. They just can't find their goldmine.

We should find Judicial Watch guilty of proving Clinton is the most ethical politician in history. Keep digging creeps. What shady reporting at the link.

"Glitzy"

[DURHAM D]

2. Another non-story.

Why did you bring it here?

[awake]

4. It is good to know what the other side is up to

Sunshine of truth is our friend. When stuff stays hidden it can get moldy and rotten, I feel that we should have nothing to fear unless you think that Hillary is hiding something.

[Fla Dem]

9. Yes it is a non-story, but it's what the news is today. And frankly the WP does a pretty good

job of downplaying any nefarious activity on the part of Sec Clinton. If the 4-5 emails cited in the report are the worse in terms of donors currying favors,(and I would have to think the most scandalous would be publicized), then the RW has nothing.

[bklyncowgirl]

11. If you're defending a candidate isn't it a good idea to know as much about what she's accused of?

It's sort of like being a defense attorney. A good lawyer wants to know all the facts--not just those which exonnerate her client.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

15. "Why did you bring it here?"

Because I am not a sundial, and I do not wear rose-colored glasses.

[geek tragedy]

3. Not criminal, but not good either.

While there's no policy quid pro quo, there is blatant influence peddling and access-seeking on the part of foundation donors, and people like Doug Band are way, way, way too willing to indulge them.

They need to permanently cut ties with the foundation and transfer its work to an independent charity where there won't be the expectation of currying favor with the Clintons in exchange for donations.

It's done a lot of good work, and this was perfectly fine when Clinton was not serving in the Executive Branch. But no longer.

[pnwmom]

6. They conveniently leave out the fact that the Crown Prince's meeting, in the end,

was set up through "official channels." And the Prince's first request was through "normal channels." But while he was waiting for a confirmation, he told Doug Band at the Foundation that he was waiting, so Doug emailed Hillary's assistant -- who replied that she'd checked and the meeting had been arranged through "official channels."

And they left out the fact that that country is a key ally and it was Hillary's JOB to meet with people like the Crown Prince.

[geek tragedy]

8. it wasn't Clinton's job to give any foreign government face time.

You seriously see nothing wrong with Band trying to lean on State Department staffers to grant access?

Like this:

In this week’s batch, the headlines came from an exchange between Abedin and Doug Band, a longtime aide to Bill Clinton, who was trying to get a Nigerian billionaire of Lebanese descent named Gilbert Chagoury, a major donor to the Clinton Foundation, access to the State Department. “We need Gilbert chagoury to speak to the substance person re lebanon,” Band wrote to Abedin. “As you know, he’s key guy there and to us and is loved in lebanon. Very imp.” Abedin replied that the right person was a Lebanon policy expert named Jeffrey Feltman and said, “I’ll talk to Jeff.” The exchange might have ended here, but Band wrote back. “Better if you call him,” he said. “Now preferable. This is very important. He’s awake I’m sure.” Celebrities and power brokers genuflected to Abedin, but Band was sure he could lean on her. The most interesting words Band deployed were the simplest ones: “we” and “us.” In a sense, they contained the essence of the many Clinton e-mail investigations: Whom did the Secretary of State’s senior staff understand to be within the bounds of that “we”?

http://www.newyorker.com/news/benjamin-wallace-wells/the-real-scandal-of-hillary-clintons-e-mails
This isn't Secretary Clinton's fault. As the article notes, the guy never got his access.

This is Doug Band's fault, and he can't be allowed anywhere near the first couple. He shouldn't have been granted this kind of access to the staff of the Secretary of State.

That "we" and "us" question goes to the heart of it--did anyone not think that Bill's longtime #1 aide writing to Hillary's #1 aide constituted an arm's length discussion?

It's not criminal, it's vastly overblown, and they can't allow even the possibility of it occurring again.

[pnwmom]

10. Bottom line: Chagoury didn't get that access.

And the Crown Prince IS someone she met with, after a meeting arranged through "official channels." Which she would do because he represents a key ally and it WAS part of her job to meet with government leaders like him and even give them "face time."

Why do you think she did so much traveling? Face time.

[Fla Dem]

13. Doug Band resigned from the Clinton Global Initiative in April 2015.

But no question he was at the root of many of the issues now coming light.

[geek tragedy]

18. hopefully they can throw his ass under the bus and be done with it nt

[yallerdawg]

28. "it wasn't Clinton's job to give any foreign government face time"?

Isn't it exactly her job as Secretary of State?

What the rightwing smear is trying to create is a suspicion that the rich and powerful of the world got access to Clinton through donations to a charity organization.

Clinton has to convince us that the rich and powerful get access because they are rich and powerful.

Oh, shit!

Do you think this is the way the world works? Is that even possible?

[geek tragedy]

29. meeting with the Secretary of State is not for any country who wants it

it's a privilege that has to be earned

[bklyncowgirl]

12. I agree.

[pnwmom]

5. As Secretary of State, Hillary was SUPPOSED to meet with people like the crown prince,

who is a key ally.

The emails show he had already made a request through "normal channels" and Hillary had said something about figuring out her schedule. Then he mentioned it to Doug Band at the Charity who emailed Hillary's Assistant at State. And Hillary's assistant replied that she had checked and the meeting had been arranged through "official channels.'

Why do so many accounts leave out that last part?

[NWCorona]

21. Band contacting Hillary's aides is troubling

[pnwmom]

22. Yeah, it's troubling to people who believe Fox news.

It's not troubling to people who live in the real world, and read the emails saying that the initial request was made through "normal channels" and the final action was made through "official channels." Both statements made with no one thinking the world would be looking over their shoulder.

I am amazed that with thousands of emails to look at, there has been so little to question.

[NWCorona]

23. I actually don't really watch fox other that a few clips on YouTube

So what's the difference between "normal" and "official" channels?

[pnwmom]

24. Normal and official would be the same thing. The email writer was just speaking casually,

not expecting anyone was going to be reading them like a lawyer.

The alternative would be going through unofficial channels -- like through the CF. But that isn't what happened. Though the request was repeated by the CF person, the action was both initiated and carried out through regular State department procedure.

[NWCorona]

25. Well I disagree as Band contacted Huma on behalf of "their friend" and a meeting

Was confirmed in the email chain. I would expect the State to organize the meeting from there.

[pnwmom]

30. I'm sure State did organize the meeting from there. But Judicial Watch is only selectively

releasing emails -- they're not releasing ones that don't raise suspicions.

[NWCorona]

32. Well I can definitely agree with that! It's obvious that they have an agenda

[tonyt53]

7. People of all walks of life contact Senators and Congressmen every day asking for help.

That is a common practice. Hell, my own dad contacted then Senator Birch Bayh (Evan's father) for help with his black lung benefits claim. We didn't live in IN though. Birch Bayh helped a lot of coal miners with this matter.

I guess GW bush walking with a guy from Saudi Arabia while holding his hand means nothing. That visit by the crown prince to Bush's ranch wasn't just to hold hands. Nope, he went to the top.

[DURHAM D]

14. .

"It is not the critic who counts. ... The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by the dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly ... who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly; so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat. - Teddy Roosevelt"

They work to better the lives of millions. The least the keyboard warriors can do is get her back. The other thing you can do is local community service work. I am off to work at Communities that Care. What are you doing today? Tonight?

[Blue Idaho]

16. Sec. Clinton not responsible for people trying to email her.

Lots of people want to use their "clout" to get special access. Frankly I'd expect her to have a "flack catcher" to knock down the requests.

[GeorgeGist]

17. A nothing burger ...

with cheese. Yum.

[sinkingfeeling]

19. Every single person in a position of power receives the same type of

requests. Bet money we'd find more interesting things in Trump's emails and those of his staff.

[mcar]

20. So there's nothing?

But the MSM will cover it like a huge "scandal."

[asiliveandbreathe]

26. Okay - if you are going to bring this here - looky see at this -

This article put the kibosh on the subject - at least for meeee..

http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/8/22/1562841/-What-the-media-doesn-t-know-about-the-Clinton-Foundation-could-sink-the-Titanic

Be well all...

[misterhighwasted]

31. ^

Thats all folks. Sorry

[uponit7771]

33. +1

[MFM008]

27. Still don't care

Really dont.

[uponit7771]

34. +1

[BlueStateLib]

35. Sadly I see a lot on the left buy into the republican narrative