Clintons' Connections Leave Hillary Open to Conflict of Interest

HUMAN EVENTS ^ | 09/08/2006 | by Tom Fitton

[oxcart]

Bill and Hillary Clinton, who made influence peddling into an art form, are apparently at it again.

The Clintons have developed a profitable and compromising connection with billionaire Ron Burkle. In the past, Burkle has contributed large amounts of cash to the Clintons’ campaigns, their legal defense fund, and to the Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock, Arkansas. Most recently, on April 21, 2006, he hosted a fundraiser for Hillary’s Senate reelection campaign at his Green Acres (Beverly Hills) mansion.

But the financial connections do not stop there.

Bill Clinton is a senior advisor to Burkle’s Yucaipa Companies. Hillary is not legally required to provide the full details of her husband’s financial arrangement with Yucaipa, claiming on her 2003 and 2004 Senate financial disclosures that Bill’s only Yucaipa income is “more than $1,000” in guaranteed payments. She could tell more, but you can bet she won’t.

According to former Clinton campaign advisor Dick Morris, however, Clinton “stands to clear tens of millions of dollar -- with virtually no risk -- from his Yucaipa work.” Off the record, he is also working on a fund that “invests in overseas ventures, for which he receives regular payments and would draw one-third of the profits when the fund is dissolved at least five years from now.” In one news report, Burkle estimated that he spends 500 hours per year with the former president -- about 10 hours per week on average -- a very small amount of time for a very large amount of undocumented income. (I know that Yucaipa does business with public pension funds in the State of California. Nice to know that an admitted perjurer can help direct the investment of public pension funds, isn’t it?)

Why is all of this important? Because Hillary Clinton presumably shares a bank account with her husband and payments to him are, in effect, payments to her as well. And since Hillary Clinton is in a position to vote on legislation that impacts Burkle’s massive empire, there is great potential for a conflict of interest. Burkle will no doubt expect something in return for the millions he funnels into the Clintons’ bank account -- something more than what amounts to a few hours of Bill Clinton’s time each week.

The situation becomes even dicier should Hillary make her much-anticipated run for the White House in 2008. Burkle is reportedly working on a deal to purchase a string of American daily newspapers, including San Jose Mercury News, Contra Costa Times, Philadelphia Inquirer and St. Paul Pioneer Press. What kind of press coverage do you suppose he’ll give to his business partner’s political campaign?

[PGalt]

Thanks for posting. BTTT.

[Doogle]

...THEIR ENTIRE BEING HAS BEEN A CONFLICT OF INTEREST



Doogle

[oxcart]

YW

Maybe Burkle should buy ABC for the Clintons?

[BenLurkin]

How many pardons?

[BIGZ]

I did not have sexual relations with that woman.

I did not call Paul Fray a F_CKING Jew bastard.

[thoughtomator]

Hell, their marriage is a conflict of interest.

[oxcart]

http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pardonchartlst.htm

[BenLurkin]

Excellent.

Thank you!

[no dems]

The best thing that could ever happen to the GOP would be for Hillary to get the Dem nomination. There is soooooo much baggage on those two people.

But then, a lot of stupid people think they are the greatest things since......since.....since Atila the Hun.

[Taxman]

He does not need to spend the money, apparently.

ABC is already solidly in the "Clinton Camp."

[HarleyLady27]

This obvious fraud committed by some obscure underling.

Or.. how she turned $10K into $100K in a cattle future scam deal in a matter of a couple weeks.

Or... what Webb Hubbell was doing illegally regarding White Water.

Or... who fired the White House Travel Office staff.

Or... how her friends from Hollyweird then get the job

Or... who hired bartender Craig Livingston to play WH über cop.

Or... what happened to the Rose Law Firm's billing records.

Or... who then snuck them into her Whitehouse bedroom in the dead of night.

Or... how those 900+ FBI files would up in her White house office

Or... who kept dragging them everywhere she went - including while on Marine 1, including overseas trips.

Or... why Vince Foster committed 'suicide'.

Or... why people insist on lying in saying that upon finding out about poor Vince, she immediately rifled through his office - with Craig Livingston - whom she does not even know.

Or... about any of Bill's 97 gazillion 'alleged' affairs.

Or... why some mean people don't believe her when she says Monica was the 1st and only affair she knows of and was utterly crushed when Bill confessed.

Or... that her book deal was in the works long before it became public knowledge and her getting that $8 million advance two days before the Senate rules made it illegal was shear coincidence.

Or... how nor why three Jewish crooks from NY got pardoned after their town gave her Senate campaign a couple hundred thousand dollars.

Or... how that same town, comprised of conservative Jews - who normally vote en masse for Republicans, magically voted for her by about 98% to 2% that year.

Or... that all the US, UK, UN, German, Italian, French, etc, etc, intelligence on Saddam's WMD's was wrong - but Bush did and tricked her!

[sgtbono2002]

Bill Clinton a man who's only expertise is in how much moisture can a cigar absorb and still be smokable, and in how long can an intern stay on her knees and avoid gagging being paid millions just for having his name connected with a firm. Why isnt the IRS checking on this character.

[Suzy Quzy]

All the money in the world won't help these people on Judgement Day.

[oxcart]

Amen to that!

[devolve]

[A CA Guy]

Ping

[Fiddlstix]

BTTT

[potlatch]

THANKYOU devolve!

[doug from upland]

DO NOT SEND ANY MONEY TO TOM FITTON UNTIL HE RETURNS MILLIONS TO PETER PAUL.