While promoting her book this summer, Hillary Clinton tugged at our hearts with the revelation that she and Bill were “dead broke” when he left office. But put away the hankies folks.

Bill and Hillary Clinton are worth $50 million or more. How they amassed that money is interesting. While Hillary was secretary of state, Bill gave over 200 speeches bringing them some $48 million for family interests. During this time the Obama administration gave the Clintons ethical waivers 100 percent of the time on more than 200 conflict-of-interest reviews by State Department ethics advisers. This information came to us from Judicial Watch in documents obtained through Freedom of Information Act.

Judicial Watch said, “How the Obama State Department waived hundreds of ethical conflicts that allowed the Clintons and their businesses to accept money from foreign entities and corporations seeking influence boggles the mind.”

I did a little more digging and found the following from a blog: “The Clinton Foundation accepted a gift of at least $1 to $5 million if not $20 million from billionaire oilman Sheikh Mohammed H. Al-Amoudi. Saudi Arabia itself gave between $10 and $25 million shortly before his wife became secretary of state, with Kuwait, Qatar and Oman each giving between $1 to $5 million. These donations followed earlier millions that flowed from the Saudi royal family to the Clinton library in Arkansas. In her dealings with the Islamic world as secretary of state, Hillary Clinton neglected to pursue an agreement with Iraq to provide for its ongoing security needs after the withdrawal of American troops, and she pressed for negotiations with the Taliban in Afghanistan — two decisions which coincidentally aligned with the desires of Saudi Arabia.” (moneyjihad.wordpress.com April 8, 2014)

If pressed on this issue, one can only imagine what Hillary Clinton might say: “What difference, at this point, does it make?”

 

Tom Jacobson

Albert Lea