COLLECTIVE MADNESS


“Soft despotism is a term coined by Alexis de Tocqueville describing the state into which a country overrun by "a network of small complicated rules" might degrade. Soft despotism is different from despotism (also called 'hard despotism') in the sense that it is not obvious to the people."

Friday, August 12, 2016

The Clintonolis, America’s First Crime Family

5 times when the Clintons escaped federal charges

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton waves to the crowd with her husband, former president Bill Clinton © Aaron P. Bernstein

Reports the DoJ rejected the FBI’s request to investigate the Clinton Foundation have created a stir this week. While it is not the first time investigators have gotten close to the Clintons, the couple seem immune to cases and charges. 
A new batch of Hillary Clinton’s emails has shed more light on the State Department’s close ties with Bill Clinton’s foundation in the times when it was supervised by the former First Lady. Nearly 300 pages of back-and-forth emails exposed senior officials at the foundation seeking favor and special connection on behalf of wealthy donors.

It has just recently appeared that the FBI has long been interested in the Foundation and even requested the Department of Justice (DoJ) to probe the former president’s non-profit earlier this year, but was denied.
According to CNN, the DoJ said it did not have enough evidence to bring up a corruption probe.

Should the report turn out to be true, it would add to the list of situations when the Clintons fell under federal scrutiny that stopped just short of official probes.

1.Whitewater case, 1992

It is now known as the Whitewater controversy, a case that dates back to 1978 and involves both the former President and his wife Hillary Clinton, currently the Democratic presidential nominee herself.

The case, once dubbed by NPR the “granddaddy of Clintons’ scandals,”centered on real-estate investment Bill and Hillary Clinton into a real estate entity known as Whitewater Development Corporation. At the time, he was serving as Arkansas governor in the late 1970s.

However, it did not surface until Bill Clinton’s bid for the presidency in 1992, when the New York Times shared details in its March 8 article.

The Justice Department eventually launched an investigation into the legality of the Whitewater transactions in 1994, but no evidence of wrongdoing has ever been found. At the time, they were suspected in participating in illegal activities related to Whitewater Development Company as "potential beneficiaries."
Even though the case stretched into Clinton’s presidency, neither he nor Hillary were ever charged. Their partners in the real estate investment, Jim McDougal and his then-wife Susan, were convicted of fraud charges.

2.Travelgate, 1993 

A year after Whitewater, Bill Clinton fell under the FBI’s scrutiny in the case that was later dubbed Travelgate. Soon after Clinton moved into the White House, seven workers from the Travel Office were fired under the pretext of “financial” problems. However, critics suspected that, in fact, the Clintons wanted to make room for cronies. The reasons for the firings were probed by the DoJ, a congressional panel and special prosecutors, but no basis was found to bring charges against either Bill or Hillary. 

3. Benghazi deadly attack, 2012

Nearly 10 years after the 1990s controversies, then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton came under fire after extremists attacked the US diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, killing Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans.
In October 2015, Clinton testified in front of the House Select Committee on Benghazi during an 11-hour hearing. One of the longest and costliest partisan congressional investigations in US history ended with no charges. The final 800-page report, issued this past June, said lawmakers found no new evidence of culpability or wrongdoing in the 2012 attacks.



Just as more of Clinton’s emails were released, parents of two Americans killed in Benghazi filed lawsuits against the 2016 Democratic Presidential nominee. The families accused the then-secretary of state of mishandling government secrets.  

4. Clinton’s homebrewed server 

Along with Benghazi probe, Cliton also was a part of a separate investigation. Both the FBI and Justice Department have been looking into whether Clinton’s private email server compromised government secrets during her tenure at the State Department.

According to the federal investigation, Clinton used “several different servers and numerous mobile devices” to send and read emails on her personal domain from 2009 to 2013.

Of the 30,000 emails turned over to the State Department, the FBI found that 110 messages in 52 chains contained information that was classified at the time, of which eight were Top Secret, 36 were Secret and eight were Confidential.
However, on July 5, FBI Director James Comey recommended no charges against Hillary Clinton over her handling of classified information on a private email server, still calling it “extremely careless.”

Testifying before the Congress, Comey admitted that Clinton lied when she said that she did not send or received any classified in her emails. 


Attorney General Loretta Lynch then accepted the bureau’s recommendations.

5. The Clinton Foundation donations

As the private server case proceeded, more cases grew around Clinton and her team. In January 2011, Fox News reported that the FBI expanded its probe to investigating the possible intersection of Clinton Foundation donations, the dispensation of State Department contracts and whether regular processes were followed. 

A court ordered the former secretary of state to release some 55,000 pages of emails, following a Freedom of Information Act request from Vice News reporter Jason Leopold.



At the end of June, a federal judge ordered the State Department to hand over records detailing Hillary Clinton's schedules during 14 overseas trips. It has been exposed, that then-secretary of state kept meetings with dozens of donors to her family’s foundations off her official calendar.

AP filed a lawsuit that also turned up evidence that Clinton's official calendars omitted dozens of donor meetings.

43 comments:

  1. Hillary announced that she will be releasing her 2015 Tax Returns, today. That will bring her total returns released up to 36, I believe.

    Clinton 36

    Trump 0

    Trump will be the first Candidate in modern time Not to release his tax returns. I wonder why?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, and there is absolutely No Law against sharing your tax returns, whether they're under audit, or not.

      Delete
    2. .

      There is a very good chance that Trump is paying little or no taxes.

      I understand Trump is considered an 'active' real estate developer (which is itself an oxymoron given the amount property he owns). And for 'active' real estate developers, there are massive tax breaks allowed under the current tax code. Perfectly legal but probably embarrassing for a presidential candidate especially since many of those same provisions used to be available to the public but were cut because they cost too much.

      .

      Delete
    3. Not only will he show very little real income his "BILLIONAIRE" status would likely be revealed for a sham.

      Delete
  2. Crawling across the bottom of my television screen:

    Obama's bombing campaign has taken 45,000 ISIS off the battlefield.

    Maybe as few as 15,000 left.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      :o)

      Amazing progress.

      Two years ago when we got involved, there were 10,000 ISIS there.

      Now in addition to Syria and Iraq they are in Libya, Yemen, the Philippines, Nigeria, Turkey, Egypt, Somalia, and Afghanistan.

      CNN reports they have cells in the the UK, Italy, and Germany.

      They have significant and growing influence in Algeria, Morocco, Mali, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Bosnia, and Malaysia.

      We have noted here the attacks in various Western countries by ISIS agents or wannabees.

      Amazing progress.

      .

      Delete
    2. Out Fucking Standing by any measure.

      Delete
    3. .

      <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/12/us/politics/isis-centcom-intelligence.html?_r=0”> Military Officials Distorted ISIS Intelligence, Congressional Panel Says</a>

      <i>WASHINGTON — Officials from the United States Central Command altered intelligence reports to portray a more optimistic picture of the war against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria than events on the ground warranted, a congressional panel said in a report issued Thursday.

      The interim report, from a task force established by the Republican chairmen of the House Armed Services Committee, Intelligence Committee and Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, found “widespread dissatisfaction” among Central Command intelligence analysts, who said superiors were doctoring their assessments of American efforts to defeat the Islamic State. Central Command, known as Centcom, is the military headquarters in Tampa, Fla., that oversees American military operations across the Middle East and Central Asia.
      “Intelligence products approved by senior Centcom leaders typically provided a more positive depiction of U.S. antiterrorism efforts than was warranted by facts on the ground and were consistently more positive than analysis produced by other elements of the intelligence community,” a news release about the report said...</i>


      I imagine the 'rosy picture' scenario is SOP in every war. It's just something to keep in mind when reading reports coming out of CENTCOM.


      .

      Delete
    4. Jeez, I wonder how they'd be doing if we Hadn't killed 45,000 of them?

      Delete
    5. probably squashed into a small State by internal divisions and the heft of other regional players. Maybe even no State at all if they didn't sit back an let Uncle Sam do what he does.

      Delete
    6. .

      Jeez, I wonder if we did kill 45,000 of them?

      Especially given that ROE restrictions were eased last year and previous rules of engagement that allowed that anyone wandering through a combat zone was considered a combatant. We have seen the results before and since the entirety of both Iraq and Syria can be considered combat zones...well...

      A good example of the quality of the reporting is the fact that the US recently announced that coalition airstrikes have killed a total of 14 - 20 civilians in the 2 years of the war. Yet, the Syrian Observatory and other organizations reported that a single coalition airstrike in the middle of Mosul killed 25 civilians including children.

      .

      .

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  3. The Bush Administration by 2008 displaced 4.2 million Iraqis. 2.2 million within Iraq and externally 2 million of the poor bastards fled to mostly Syria and Jordan. The US installed government in Iraq was far from helpful and worsened the sectarian divide.

    ReplyDelete
  4. We should trust the 45,000 kill count. Yessiree. Why? Because the government tells us so, and they wouldn't lie.

    Regarding HRC's tax returns, I would much rather see her medical records. Now that would be some interesting reading.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's actually 45,001, Rufus says they missed one.

      Delete
  5. Trump was asked if Clinton should release her Medical Records. He was really quick to respond,"NO!"

    Could it be because he doesn't want to release His?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Since 2007, the Clintons have paid $43,000,000.00, give or take, in income taxes.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Mark Murray ✔ @mmurraypolitics

    New NBC/WSJ/Marist polls

    CO: HRC 46, Trump 32 (+14)

    FL: HRC 44, Trump 39 (+5)

    NC: HRC 48, Trump 39 (+9)

    VA: HRC 46, Trump 33 (+13)

    Aug 4-10
    10:30 AM - 12 Aug 2016

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "These are supposed to be battleground states, but right now, they don't look that way," says Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion.

      Indeed, if Clinton ultimately wins all four, Trump has no realistic path to getting the 270 electoral votes needed for victory. And even if Trump is able to win in Florida and its 29 electoral votes, he has to run the table in the other battlegrounds, including in Pennsylvania.

      Delete
  8. The Clintons, who have never stiffed a worker, or filed a bankruptcy, paid an effective Federal Tax Rate of 34.2%, and gave approx. 10% to Charity.

    I wonder what the Drumpfs paid, and gave to charity. (ha ha, we have a pretty good idea about that, don't we?) :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. I'm a real estate developer.

    Different league than The Donald, though.

    Sand lot.....

    But how come I've never heard about any such tax breaks as Q mentions ?

    What are they, exactly, Q ?

    Give me the tax code numbers, and I'd love to spend some time checking it out.....



    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      I'm a real estate developer.


      Sure you are.

      Good one.

      .

      Delete
  10. Another defection …...thehill.com/...

    Robert Tuttle, who served as assistant to the president and director of presidential personnel in Reagan's administration, says his vote for Clinton will be his first vote for a Democrat in his entire life.

    “The Republican nominee for president has no government experience and has done nothing in his career to demonstrate that he is competent to be president,” Tuttle said in a statement.

    “He has made repeated misstatements and inaccurate statements. He has insulted minorities, women, a war hero and Gold Star parents. He is unqualified and unfit to be president," said Tuttle, who also was ambassador to the United Kingdom under George W. Bush.

    "I have never voted for a Democrat but I will vote for Secretary Clinton.”

    ReplyDelete
  11. What if you were watching falling stars beneath the Grand Coulee, and it got hit?

    ReplyDelete
  12. My gut is juggling like jelly watching Rufus trying to switch the topic under discussion from The Clinton Crime Family, to Trump's income taxes.


    I await Q's citation of the relevant tax code numbers.....

    And, Q, don't give me the 1031 stuff.....anyone can do that.....

    Give me something I don't know about.....

    Something I CAN USE, please.

    Or, go back to your barber shop, and shut up.

    Thank you, in either case.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rufus takes dictation from the creepy crawlies on his screen and posts it here.
      He considers it a valuable service.

      Delete
  13. Rufus believes everything that crawls across his screen.

    It's his primary source of information.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Until Q comes up with the tax code numbers, I'm going to go do one of the things I do best, dodge falling stars by fucking around in at the Casino....

    ReplyDelete
  15. I voted for Eugene McCarthy, but I'm not voting for Hillary.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gene was clean, Brain Freeze is dirty.

      Always vote clean over dirty.

      Delete
  16. The REASON The Donald has that small army of:

    1) Lawyers
    2) Tax Attorneys
    3) Certified Public Accountants

    is because he wants to comply with the law.

    Not avoid or violate it, like Hillary.

    Also Note: He does not have the Justice Department covering for him, like Brain Freeze.

    That is what all those hires do for him.....they keep him from getting cross wise with the law.

    He doesn't want it, doesn't need it, wants to avoid it....

    ReplyDelete
  17. galopn2Fri Aug 12, 02:52:00 PM EDT
    The Clintons, who have never stiffed a worker, or filed a bankruptcy, paid an effective Federal Tax Rate of 34.2%, and gave approx. 10% to Charity.

    ===

    They gave 1 Million to the Clinton Foundation and 42 thousand to other charities.

    Figure out THAT percentage!

    (It won't be found scrolling across your screen.)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. (Correction: This article initially identified the Clinton non-profit that received the bulk of the Clintons’ charitable donations as the Clinton Foundation. The $1 million contribution actually went to the Clinton Family Foundation. The Clintons control the entity, but it is separate from the Clinton Foundation.)

      Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2016/08/12/96-percent-of-hillarys-charitable-donations-in-2015-went-to-clinton-foundation/#ixzz4HAW3eYeY

      Delete
    2. hmmmm.....

      Is it fair to say that the money went into their own bank account, so to speak ?

      I request a Rufian Ruling on this question.

      Delete
  18. The Clinton’s charitable giving goes almost exclusively to their own Foundation

    Aug 12, 2016 4:01 PM by John Sexton
    15 Comments »


    ....When the Clintons released their 2015 tax returns Friday, Chuck Ross at the Daily Caller noticed something about the couple’s charitable giving:


    Hillary Clinton and her husband Bill deducted $1,042,000 in charitable contributions last year — $1 million of which went to their own family non-profit, the Clinton Foundation…

    The documents show that the power couple earned $10,745,378 last year, mostly on income earned from giving public speeches.

    The other $42,000? That went to a PGA golf event....

    http://hotair.com/archives/2016/08/12/the-clintons-charitable-giving-goes-almost-exclusively-to-their-own-foundation/

    ReplyDelete
  19. Trump is telling the folks in Altoona, Pa., tonight, that "the only way he can lose Pa. is if the vote is rigged."

    Trump is Losing Pa. by 9.2 - Realclear Politics

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. Vote rigging in Pa. ?

      Nooooo....

      Wait....don't I recall something about some radical group with billy clubs preventing some folks from voting....

      I have no idea who is going to win this election but that polling group out of LA that tracks daily has Clinton ahead right now by a mighty 1% nationally.

      Delete
  20. How Stupid Do They Think We Are ?

    http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2016/08/how_stupid_do_they_think_we_are.html

    (it's a very short article, and the answer is 'real stupid')

    Aristotle saw it all long ago.

    He just described the cycle.

    He had no solution.

    We are not immune.

    Rufus VOTES

    :(

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. (Aristotle did however write a book for his kid Nick advising him as best he could how to negotiate one's way through all the horse shit, and possibly have something of a decent life)

      Delete
  21. Getting back to basics -

    Science

    August 10, 2016

    Final blow to old tale of how people arrived in Americas

    Is there any way the first Americans migrated south through an ice-free corridor? No, say scientists.


    By Eva Botkin-Kowacki, Staff writer


    http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2016/0810/Final-blow-to-old-tale-of-how-people-arrived-in-Americas

    ReplyDelete

  22. Sen. Rand Paul says that Hillary Clinton deserves five years in prison for lying to Congress about the true nature of the CIA operation in Benghazi that was attacked by terrorists in 2012.

    Under oath before Congress in 2013, Hillary Clinton answered a question from Sen. Paul, saying she knew nothing about the weapons shipments from Libya to Syria.

    However, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said last months that his next release of Clinton emails may prove that this is not true.

    ERIC BOLLING, FOX NEWS: Julian Assange, who has Wikileaks, says there are some emails that pretty much tie Hillary Clinton to knowing about some weapons that may have been going through Libya to some of the ISIS fighters… Now if Wikileaks in fact does have emails proving that she did know what does that mean to you?

    SEN. RAND PAUL (R-KY): It’s a felony to lie to Congress. You can get five years in prison. And we can’t continue to say the Clintons are above the law. I do believe that the CIA annex in Benghazi was procuring weapons, some of them to get them away from the jihadists in Libya. But some of it to ferry those weapons through Turkey, into Syria.

    There have been many, many first hand accounts, The New York Times, London Times, Washington Times have all reported on this… I find it hard to believe that Hillary Clinton, who all the news report have said she was the biggest advocate for arming the Islamic rebels in Syria, many of them turned out to be not only enemies of ours, some of them also turned out to be enemies of Israel.

    ReplyDelete
  23. You really have to love these political toadies for Israel. I mean it is one thing to do something that hurts the US but it really is beyond comprehension and all political decency is it crosses the blue line and give the Israelis the sniffles.

    ReplyDelete