“You know, every secretary of state that I know have (sic) done that,” was Hillary Clinton’s response to CNN anchor Anderson Cooper’s inquiry into her receiving $675,000 for speeches to financial firms. “That’s what they offered to pay,” she snarkily added.
Hillary Clinton during Feb. 4, 2016 debate with Sen. Bernie Sanders.
If Cooper had done his homework, he could have pointed out that former secretaries of state Colin Powell and Madeline Albright usually speak for $50-60,000 dollars. Condoleezza Rice was paid $150,000 for a speech at the University of Minnesota. Cooper did, however, point out the difference that they weren’t running for office.
To that, Clinton stuttered, “I didn’t … to be honest, I wasn’t … I wasn’t committed to running … I didn’t … I didn’t know whether I …” When Cooper interrupts with, “you didn’t know you were running for president?” She responded, “I didn’t.”
Of course we know that’s an outright lie. She may not have been a declared candidate, but everyone, including her, knew she would be a candidate for president in 2016.
Hillary Clinton’s role in Clinton Global Initiative fundraising is big question. (European press photo agency)
Hillary Clinton established what has become known as a “permanent campaign,” a continuation of her 2008 loss to Barack Obama. “Winners don’t kill off the losers and their supporters,” wrote Robert Reich, who explained that they no longer wait until the next battle, but have moved toward continuous battles – the permanent campaign. She was running before 2008 and never stopped. Her advisor, Sidney Blumenthal wrote a book, “The Permanent Campaign.”
I’m convinced that nearly everything she did as secretary of state was politically motivated and had ties to the Clinton Foundation and the Clinton Global Initiative. Its offer to consider a ban on foreign contributions to avoid the appearance of conflicts of interest was short-lived.
It isn’t just the foreign contributions that benefit the Clinton’s. In 2014, Arizona State University paid $500,000 to host the Clinton Global Initiative symposium “aimed at bringing together college students to find practical, innovative solutions to global challenges.” Was this payment for lobbying efforts of ASU or future access to a possible Hillary Clinton administration?
“Time and time again, by innuendo, by insinuation, there is this attack that he (Sen. Bernie Sanders) is putting forth, which really comes down to – you know, anybody who took donations or speaking fees from any interest group has been bought,” Clinton criticized Sanders at last night’s debate.
“If you’ve got something to say, say it directly,” she snapped at Sanders, but as he tried to reply, she interrupted with, “I think it’s time to end the very artful smear that you and your campaign have been carrying out in recent weeks.” That prompted a chorus of boos from the audience.
Sanders doesn’t have a chance at defeating Clinton, but he’s getting in some choice comments that are disturbing her plan to quietly ease into the general election.
