More ethics issues for Huma Abedin?

While working as a high-level aide to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Huma Abedin received a curious waiver to work in the private sector simultaneously — and went to work for a firm politically connected to the Clintons and their foundation, Teneo. The waiver itself is under investigation by the Senate Judiciary Committee, a probe that may take on more importance as the FBI succeeds in uncovering more e-mail from Hillary’s server. Politico’s Rachel Bade may have found a quo if not a quid in Abedin’s communications:

The Hillary Clinton campaign objected to the leak of the e-mail, which it said was produced with the understanding that it would not be made public. That’s certainly a curious position to take, since by law federal records such as official State Department communications are public records. If it didn’t come from Judiciary, it might well have popped out from any number of FOIA demands — which, as we have seen, the use of a secret server thwarted for years.

This exchange took place before Teneo hired Abedin in the waiver arrangement, which raises questions of its own. Teneo had worked to get appointments through Abedin without success; did they figure that paying her would make her a more effective lobbyist? She may not have “interceded” in a precise legal sense, but asking for allies to push the White House to give a Teneo exec a plum position is lobbying in a practical sense.

While Team Clinton and Abedin’s lawyers are throwing up all sorts of rebuttals on precise statutory grounds, let’s not lose sight of the big picture here. Abedin, a longtime key aide and official staff for a Secretary of State, got a sweet deal in which she could collect two paychecks — one from American taxpayers, and the other from a politically-connected firm that wanted to get White House appointments. It’s absurd to believe that Abedin had value to Teneo as anything other than a conduit to Hillary Clinton and an entrée to the Obama administration. Even if no laws got broken, and that’s still far from clear, the arrangement stinks to high heaven.

Huma's official timecards were apparently falsified (a Felony) and filed (another felony) during the IG's investigation over questions about her possible conflicts of interest...holding several positions while cashing US govt checks as a State Dept employee.

Remember, students of govt corruption: falsifying official documents is the chosen method used to cover-up larger crimes.

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Other findings in the Congressional probe:

<><> Abedin allegedly sent or received more than 7,000 emails on her US government account that involved Teneo’s Doug Band, a close confidante and travel companion of the globe-trotting, buck-raking Bill Clinton;

<><> one email exchange involved Teneo’s Doug Band pressuring Abedin to encourage her State Department boss, Hillary Clinton, to facilitate a White House appointment for one of his clients. Judith Rodin, then-president of the Rockefeller Foundation, “donated hundreds of millions of dollars to the Clinton Foundation,” Mr. Band allegedly noted in his email to Ms. Abedin.

<><> email evidence allegedly suggests that Ms. Abedin and another Hillary aide, Cheryl Mills, colluded to find a way to ensure taxpayers paid for Ms. Abedin’s travel to and from New York.”

<><> Abedin apparently falsifed govt financial documents to get $33,000 tax dollars for paid State Department leave she said she hadn’t used...but, to date, has not prosecuted..

<><> multiple allegations received by Grassley’s Judiciary Committee indicated Abedin had actually taken leave during her time as a govt employee, casting doubt on whether Abedin should have received $33,000 in taxpayer money.

<><> allegations surfaced that the State Dept personnel rule was quietly bent to permit Abedin to collect her government paycheck while wielding her influence to the benefit of her other employers.

<><> Hillary Clinton jetted to Ireland with Abedin at her side for her last official trip before exiting the State Dept, during which Hillary attended an event hosted by a major Clinton Foundation donor that had been promoted by Teneo (for which Abedin then-served as a “consultant”)

<><> Abedin’s special employment status gave her heavy influence over Hillary Clinton’s State Dept daily schedule and travel plans at the same time Abedin served as a senior adviser at Teneo, and performed other duties at the Clinton Foundation.

<><> Abedin using information about Hillary’s travel schedule in discussions w/ her clients, could be a serious breach of US ntl security, since even the calendar amd travel plans of the Secy of State is considered classified information.

<><> Abedin was among several key aides to Hillary Clinton that hosted email accounts on a private server in the 2016 presidential candidate’s Chappaqua, New York home, in violation of federal records laws.

Abedin is currently vice-chair of Hillary’s 2016 presidential campaign committee.

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