Posted on 06/06/2007 4:56:39 PM PDT by wagglebee
Embattled businessman Vinod Gupta has responded to criticism of his financial links to Bill and Hillary Clinton, saying that Bill is well worth the millions of dollars his company InfoUSA pays the former president.
Nebraska-based InfoUSA sells lists of sales leads, market research and e-mail marketing services, and Bill Clinton serves as a hired consultant. Gupta said Clinton provides advice on how to reach into new markets, especially political parties and nonprofit organizations, and also "opens doors,” according to the Omaha World-Herald.
"He helps us meet some of the right people,” Gupta told the paper.
"He has talked about us to a lot of gatherings.”
As NewsMax reported earlier, InfoUSA repeatedly rented marketing databases to unscrupulous persons who used the information to defraud the unsuspecting elderly, investigators found.
The company is also under fire in a shareholder lawsuit that alleges Gupta is appropriating company funds for personal use and his political pet projects.
Gupta had InfoUSA pay Clinton $2.1 million in "consulting fees” since he left the White House, with another $1.2 million promised.
The lawsuit also states that InfoUSA spent more than $900,000 to provide corporate jet flights for both Bill and Hillary Clinton. Another NewsMax story disclosed that InfoUSA has also hired House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s son Paul Pelosi Jr. as a $180,000-a-year senior vice president – even though he has no experience in the company’s main business activities.
But Gupta seemingly has no qualms about paying out sizeable sums to politically connected persons.
"We get back many times over what is spent on Bill,” he maintained, adding that the Clinton connection has brought in "easily over $40 million” in recent years.
"We are not in any way defensive about it,” he said of hiring Clinton. "I’m honored he helped us.”
Wonder what kind of deal he made with the Clintons that Stan Lee Media couldn’t or didn’t?
Check this guy out.
First Tyson, then the Lippo Group, now InfoUSA. The Clintons have a long history of being leeches.
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