If you go against the Clinton Foundation, people will die. That’s the pathetic new line of defense crafted by the Clintons and their supporters after another story exposed their nonprofit as a hub to cash in favors. The Associated Press reported that more than half of the nongovernmental meetings Hillary had while she was secretary of state were with Clinton Foundation donors. To boot, top aide Huma Abedin acted as a middle person between State, the donor, and the Foundation regarding granting these people an audience. Usually directing people who wanted a meeting with Secretary Clinton to go through the Foundation. Donors were also given expedited access.
Now, multiple news organizations have been calling on the Clintons to shut down the Foundation should she become the next president of the United States, noting that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation should absorb most of the operation. It’s a tacit acknowledgement that the Clintons have a serious ethics problem with the Foundation; that it could drain Hillary’s political capital should she win; or that it could sink her presidency, which is something NY Magazine’s Jonathan Chait touched upon. Sadly, he added that it wouldn’t cost her the election. On the upside, if this collapse happens (and that’s a huge if), the Clinton-era would be short-lived. Yet, back to the “we’re all awful people for questioning the Foundation” defense. We’re not questioning their work; we’re questioning the internal dynamics of what some have called a slush fund. Regardless, longtime Clinton ally James Carville said that anyone who supports shutting down the Foundation is going to hell, and that kids are going to die. This was uttered during the August 23 broadcast of Morning Joe, where the host said this was “B.S” (via Kristine Marsh/Newsbusters):
JAMES CARVILLE: As a human being I think the foundation does an enormous amount of good. From a strictly political standpoint, if my sixth grade teacher [indiscernible name] says it's right, somebody is going to hell over this. Because somebody, understand here, or somewhere, this is saving people's lives. There's nothing -- I think--again -- I’m very proud of it.JOE SCARBOROUGH: I wish I could say the word I want to say. I'll just say that's B.S. The fact is if it's a great charity and its a five-star rated charity, guess what, other people can raise the money. It doesn't have to be Bill Clinton calling somebody up making people think, if you know what, if I give him money it could help me out. If it's a great charity it can stand on its own and other people can raise money for it. It's not a zero-sum game. It's not having Bill Clinton raise money while his wife is running for president or else we're all going to hell and little kids are going to die across the planet.
CARVILLE: They’re gonna
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On August 24, Bill Clinton reiterated the same fear that folks will die if the transition process that will separate the power couple from the nonprofit isn’t done right should Hillary win the election (via Atlanta Journal Constitution):
At a stop at Manuel’s Tavern in Atlanta before a fundraiser, the former president sought to downplay an Associated Press report that found more than half the people outside the government who met with his wife at the State Department gave money to the foundation.“We’re trying to do good things. If there’s something wrong with creating jobs and saving lives, I don’t know what it is,” said Bill Clinton. “The people who gave the money knew exactly what they were doing. I have nothing to say, except I’m really proud of the work they’ve done.”
[…]
“I’m happy to do the transition as swiftly as we can, and we’ve already found partners who are going to take over some of this stuff,” he said. “But we have to do it in a way where no one loses their job, no one loses their income, no one loses their life.”
So, we’re I guess all going to hell, right? Please.
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