Here's Why Fauci Needs a Pardon
So, That's Why Joni Ernst Isn't Supporting Pete Hegseth's Defense Secretary Nomination
The Lib Reaction to the Murder of a Healthcare CEO Was Appalling
Biden White House Scrambling on Whether to Pardon These Three People
Do Dems Know Obama Gave Kash Patel an Award for Hunting Down Terrorists?
NBC News Host Highlights the Immense Damage Joe Biden Has Done With Hunter's...
Why Double Standards on Guns Are a Terrible Idea
Trump Announces Slew of Nominations, Appointments
Here's What Romney Had to Say in His Farewell Senate Speech
This Election Cycle, at Least One Celeb Understood Voters Didn't Care What A-Listers...
Eric Adams Defends Daniel Penny
Trump Assassination Hearing Erupts Into Absolute Chaos
New Poll Shows How Americans Feel About Trump's Nominees
Here's What Gavin Newsom Had to Say About Joe Biden Pardoning Hunter
SCOTUS Just Heard the Most Unhinged Arguments for Medically Mutilating Minors
OPINION

Clinton Cash

The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Townhall.com.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

This week, as Democrats fawn over Hillary Clinton, I'm struck by how both Clintons continue to thrive despite their remarkable record of sleazy dealings.      

Advertisement

  The just released documentary "Clinton Cash," based on a book by Peter Schweizer, explains how they make big money by selling access to themselves.        

In a conversation, Schweizer told me how the Clintons use "speaking fees" to get around bribery laws.        

"If somebody gave a politician or family member money for a favor, that's breaking the law. But if you say it's a speaking fee, and you pay double or triple the normal rate, that seems to be legal."        

Since Bill Clinton left office, he's earned more than $126 million giving speeches. Nothing wrong with that. Bill likes to talk, and if people want to pay big bucks to hear him or just to say they were near him, so be it. It's their own money.        

But what suggests influence peddling, says Schweizer, is that before Hillary became secretary of state, Bill's usual fee was less than $200,000. But after Hillary became secretary of state, he made as much as $750,000 per speech.

That's "evidence that people paying him expect to get something in return," says Schweizer. "She becomes appointed secretary of state, a friend of the president of Nigeria suddenly offers (Bill) $700,000 apiece for two speeches. An investment firm in Moscow that's tied to the Kremlin who had never paid for him to speak before suddenly gave him $500,000."        

Advertisement

Those are just two of many examples cited in "Clinton Cash."        

Sometimes the Clintons launder the money through the Clinton Foundation. It's collected more than $2 billion to "improve global health and wellness."        

But Sean Davis of The Federalist examined Clinton Foundation records and concluded only about 15 percent of the money goes to actual charity work to help needy people.        

Most is spent paying Clinton cronies and other well-connected people to schmooze with governments and charities, which supposedly helps those governments and charities help people. I doubt it helps much.        

Even the earthquake in Haiti became a moneymaking opportunity for the Clintons.         After the earthquake, the Clinton Foundation announced that it would work with governments and businesses to help rebuild Haiti. Actual rebuilding has been meager.        

A Clinton Foundation press release promised an industrial park that would create "up to 60,000 jobs." Just 7,000 jobs have been created.        

What the Foundation has managed to do is help Clinton "friends." One, Irish billionaire Denis O'Brien, runs Digicel, a company that wanted a grant to build Haiti's cellphone network.        

Advertisement

"Four weeks after their application," says Schweizer, Digicel sponsored a speech for Bill Clinton in Jamaica and "paid him $225,000. Within four months of that speech, Digicel would receive the first installment of that grant money."        

Hillary Clinton's brother, Tony Rodham, even managed to cash in. The Haitian government awarded an exclusive gold mining contract to a company called VCS mining. VCS, says Schweizer, "has no experience in mining, very little experience in Haiti, and it raises the question, of all the companies out there, why did the Haitian government pick this one company?"        

The Clintons will tell you that it had nothing to do with the facts that Hillary's brother got a job with VCS and the chairman happens to be a Democratic donor.        

The worst example in "Clinton Cash," says Schweizer, is the Ericsson telecom deal. The Swedish company Ericsson was in trouble with the State Department because it sold telecom equipment to repressive regimes.        

Says Schweizer, "WikiLeaks cables show the State Department sort of busting up the Swedish foreign minister, saying you need to get Ericsson into line. Ericsson decides that this would be a great time to sponsor a speech by Bill Clinton. They had never done so before. They decided to go big, $750,000 for a 20-minute speech. Bill gives the speech and literally seven days later, the State Department comes out with a statement saying we're not going to take further action against Ericsson. We're going to ask them to police themselves."        

Advertisement

Hillary Clinton would like you to believe that electing a woman (Electionbettingodds.com shows she is favored 67 percent to 32 percent) means you've picked an "outsider" who will put a stop to Washington favoritism. Don't believe it.        

I hope "Clinton Cash" gets the attention it deserves.

Join the conversation as a VIP Member

Recommended

Trending on Townhall Videos