Posted on 12/30/2013 1:58:02 PM PST by afraidfortherepublic
WASHINGTON — Hillary Rodham Clinton’s State Department is spending $5.4 million to buy fine crystal stemware for American embassies — but it won’t give the US economy much of a boost.
The contract was given to a tiny Washington, DC, interior designer, which in turn subcontracted the crystal work to a Swedish firm — snubbing such US companies as the famous manufacturer in Clinton’s own back yard, Steuben Crystal of upstate Corning.
The firm didn’t even get a chance to bid on the contract, which will outfit embassies and ambassadors’ residences with fancy crystal for ritzy functions.
Ironically, under the no-bid contract, some of the crystal is to be custom-crafted to include the seal of the United States, although Swedes will do all of the manufacturing.
Contracting rules require any American firms that subcontract work to use a domestic firm or get a waiver.
The firm that got the contract, Systems Design Inc., is a small interior-design firm in tony Georgetown. The company, which is eligible for minority small-business contracts, does not appear to have done any similar work.
After getting the contract in September, the firm subcontracted to Swedish glassmaker Orrefors/Kosta Boda USA.
Department spokesman Darby Holladay said Systems Design couldn’t find a domestic producer who could meet the 100 percent lead-free requirement, although a Steuben spokesman said it does manufacture lead-free crystal.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Doesn’t this take the cake?
Doesn’t this take the cake?
***
No, that would be the silver flatware.
;-)
This should be illegal, there was a time if we were doing construction work in a government facility we were required to use American Manufactured unless specs stated otherwise.
I wonder how much of that 5.4 million will find it’s way back to a Hillary Clinton PAC ?
My bet is 10 % of the top....
You can be sure the actual cost was probably around half of the $5.4 million reported— the rest is kickbacks to Clinton cronies.
It seems as though the owner of Systems Design, Inc was sentenced for fraud last year.
http://nypost.com/2011/07/14/decorator-gets-prison-stripes/
This is pretty outrageous ... BUT... technically it isn’t Clinton’s State Department anymore.
From the New York Post in 2011:
Decorator gets prison stripes
By Geoff Earle
July 14, 2011 | 4:00am
.WASHINGTON — Darlene Mathis-Gardner, the DC interior designer who admitted to ripping off the government — and who got a $5.4 million contract to design glassware for Hillary Rodham Clinton’s State Department — now has 18 months to contemplate how to spruce up a jail cell.
Judge Richard Leon handed down the stiff sentence in federal court yesterday.
Mathis-Gardner also must pay restitution of $390,000 for using a string of fraudulent statements to get the Department of Homeland Security to hire her tiny firm for a $1.3 million interior-design job in 2007.
BUT, this happened when is WAS Clinton’s State Department and when the nation was in the throes of an unemployment crisis.
My apologies. I neglected to note the date on the story and assumed it was current.
You think like I do. The Democrat party is nothing but a money laundry.
When anything is done by Hillary, follow the $$$$$$$$$$$ first.
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