What a Story! Candidate Personally Receives Hundreds of Thousands From Foreign Sources, Private Interests

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It's always fascinating to watch the press corps decide which stories to play up, which to ignore - and which to save for later. We now know that a leading Presidential candidate has indirectly received hundreds of thousands of dollars from foreign sources based in a country with pressing business before the government - as well as millions more from private interests. Yet the story of the Clinton family's income has received much less play than the money her subordinates got from the same sources.

Why? And, more importantly for Democrats, when will this story hit? Are Fox News and the Republicans holding their fire until (and unless) Clinton becomes the nominee? That's an important question - because, when it does hit, this story is going to make the questions about Tony Rezko, questions which should legitimately be asked, look very small.

First, is it fair to say that the candidate herself has received hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Colombian government? We're always careful not to accept anything the media says about the Clintons at face value. But we know that Bill Clinton received $800,000 in speaking fees from Gold Service International, a business group formed to foster increased trade with Colombia.

And what single event would do the most to increase trade with Colombia? Passage of that trade agreement that Sen. Clinton tells us she opposes. (She told us she opposed NAFTA, too - privately - although Clinton White House records indicated she stumped for its passage.) And while Sen. Clinton says she opposes the politically unpopular deal, her husband has been pushing it for quite a while.

Here's a simple fact: Bill and Hillary Clinton file tax returns jointly. $800,000 to Bill is therefore $800,000 to Hillary's household. Or, if you were counting assets separately on a community-property basis, Hillary's net worth increased by nearly half a million dollars thanks to that Colombian trade group.

So here's the story in a nutshell: Foreign business group pays $800,000 to the household of a Senator - and possible future President - while a critical trade deal is being debated in Washington. And the press isn't even talking about the story much - yet.

Let's be clear about this: I'm not suggesting wrongdoing on the part of either Sen. Clinton or the former President. She says she opposes the deal, despite the income (although that could change, of course.). For his part, President Clinton has always been a vocal supporter of NAFTA and other similar trade deals, so it's fair to assume that his expressed support for the Colombian agreement represents his real opinions. And his standard speaking fees are very high.

What I am saying is that there is precedent for stories like this. Speaking fees have been perceived as a way to bypass regulations and buy lots of goodwill from politicians. Paying generous "service" fees to family members has been seen in a similar light. Yet the press has played down this story. Strange. They haven't hesitated to smear the Clintons with vile, baseless, and nasty stories and comments about topics that have no relationship to public policy, and the Clintons' constant complaint is that the press is their enemy. Yet she's dodged a bullet so far on this one. Even Fox has been pretty quiet about it. Why?

Here's one possibility, especially for the Fox crowd: They don't need it yet. They're waiting to see if Clinton can turn the nomination process around and become the nominee. If she does they'll run with it 24/7. But until then, they're going to keep it on ice.

Candidates' complaints notwithstanding, the press isn't for against either Democratic candidate. They want the race to go on as long as possible, for selfish reasons. It's great for ratings and viewership - and as long as they have a horse race to cover, they don't have to discuss unpleasant realities like the war in Iraq.

Turning this story into a scandal could end this race prematurely. But if Hillary becomes the candidate, this story could become a great source of endlessly repeating coverage - with, of course, some behind-the-scenes help from the Republican National Committee.

There are number of other names on President Clinton's speaking list, too, including diamond traders, investment funds, health insurers, foreign banks, and other whose destinies might be impacted by the next President's actions. They could keep this story alive for a long time.

Bill Clinton has the right to earn a living at a level that's commensurate with his enormous talents. I'd like to see him give a speech someday myself. But when you receive that much money from one group, and then advocate for their interests while your spouse is running for President and sitting in the Senate, it provides fodder for journalists ... and for your party's enemies. Even more importantly, these kinds of payments raise legitimate questions about power, wealth, and influence.

Arianna's all over the Clinton/Colombian connection. My concern is broader, and is based on the fact that a Presidential candidate is receiving money from a number of different private sources through her spouse. How will this issue play in the press, and how might it be used in the general election?

At a minimum, this was a serious lapse of judgment on the Clintons' part. At worst, it's an example of Washington coziness with the powerful, a system of mutual self-interest that needs to be changed. And either way, it's a weapon that will be used to great effect against the Democrats if Hillary becomes the nominee.
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Other campaign news:

Did you know that if the Democrats chose candidates in alphabetical order, Hillary Clinton would already be the nominee?

Princeton prof (and my former nemesis) Sean Wilentz has published one of those wacky alternate-history scenarios the Clinton team routinely produces, in hopes of persuading superdelegates and others that the nomination is rightfully Hillary's. Thankfully, Brad DeLong and Oliver Willis have already deconstructed it, saving others a lot of time and effort. As for me, if I want alternate history I'll reread Philip K. Dick's The Man In the High Castle.

Did you know that if the Democrats chose candidates based on the number of endorsements they received from glasses-wearing British pop stars who did their best work in the 1970's, Hillary would already be the nominee?

I am not going to slam Sen. Clinton over the confusion about that hospital death story, however. I always knew the story had to be more complicated that she was letting on, and she should have too, because Federal law makes it illegal for any hospital to turn away someone that needs emergency treatment. The story that has now come out - that the woman was refused treatment by a clinic - makes more sense.

But I actually applaud Sen. Clinton on this one. She's trying to explain, in simple and illustrative terms, the complex story of the ways our health financing system can kill people. That's an important contribution to the debate, and I hope she keeps at it.

Did you know that if Sen. Clinton owned an anti-gravity belt and Democrats picked candidates based on their average daily altitude, she would already be the nominee?

As for Mark Penn's "resignation," that was apparently another tall tale. She's still taking advice from the wrong people. Sure, it was a coup to get Sir Elton. But it seems to me she's run her campaign like a candle in the wind, never knowing who to turn to when the rains set in ...
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John McCain has a new ad that claims he's more qualified than either Democrat to handle economic issues. But what's really striking about the ad is its claim that we need "a President who will be ready at 3 am." I know he's not as young as he used to be, but at least Bob Dole waited until he lost the election before he started doing Viagra ads.
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More recent election commentary here:

James Carville, Don't Write Me Anymore
Molly and Camille ... and Big Star
How Barack Obama Should Turn Down Public Financing

A Night Light
The Sentinel Effect: Healthcare Blog

Comments

[Ajironworks]

Fascism is an authoritarian political ideology (generally tied to a mass movement , International trade agreement operated by the Multi-national Corporations and the Governments of the Nations ) that considers the individual subordinate ( in this example America ) to the interests of the state, party or society as a whole , in relationship too the WTO Trade Partners , or in other words America is to assume the debts of others so that Free Trade can benefit the interest of Foreign Policy , and this Blending of cultures be a positive factor , so I would agree the idea of blending cultures together , if , the Culture assumes the Debts of all Cultures , including Americas , because this Blending of cultures through this Trade agreement has been the result of the Debts and trade imbalances , so Balance the trade deficits , so the economies the world can settle down , and we can all start looking to what we need to do to solve World Food and Energy Shortages , and make enough of the right kinds of Resources for all . Fascists seek to forge a type of national unity, usually based on (but not limited to) ethnic, cultural, racial, and/or religious attributes. Various scholars attribute different characteristics to fascism, but the following elements are usually seen as its integral parts: patriotism, nationalism, statism, militarism, totalitarianism, anti-communism, corporatism, populism, collectivism, autocracy and opposition to political and economic liberalism.

[sweetliberty]

When I saw Clinton's speech income, I knew there were huge conflicts of interest. I am sure the press knows as well but is giving her a pass. This kind of mess angers me in the same way as when the media gave Bush a pass.

[ArchAngel]

And even bigger point that no one is talking about is that an Ex-President would be privately operating out of the White House with all its advantages and turning it into a Whore House for huge money deals.

[GiggidyGeshmoygen]

washington's corrupt political elite have been using their wives as fronts to scoop up all that extra money (a.k.a. bribes, payola, kickbacks) for years

why should shillary be any different?

[RISEUPAMERICA]

let's talk

MSM would have to then also report about all the of the foreign and private interest money obama has taken

and why doesn't the MSM talk about Obama and the weather underground terrorist friend william Ayers??

or his other radical allies??

[SCG]

I'll bite.......because they are not FOX?

[SCG]

Mr Eskow, I enjoy your columns, but somehow this one leaves me nonplused. Where to start? bullet points....

1) Hillary's policy differences with hubby? I don't believe her, I think she would say what she thinks voters want to hear. She knows trade is a hot potato.

"The President has kept all of the promises he intended to keep." - George Stephanopoulos, (speaking of Bill Clinton's recent campaign) -Larry King Live 1996.

2) Media? is it ratings based that's rather benign explanation. I think there afraid to dig too deeply in the underside of Washington for the repercussions that might accrue for their own interests.

3) You forgot the Michigan effect .....If Hillary was the only name on the ballot she'd be winning by a landside, and that evil ,muslim, turban wearing, drug dealer (as far as I know?) would not be dividing the harmonious party unity, ...the nerve.

4) Elton? It's a case of losing a little respect for his intellectual abilities.....It's the crowd he hangs with, in another place and time he'd be endorsing Imelda Marcos. The one that really disappointed me a bit was Elvis Costello. And Barbra, I gave up on her due to her undying loyalty to the Clinton's.....at least she is amenable about the possibility of Barack Obama.

[gloryoski]

Elvis: On the bright side, I now have a little pnuemonic post-hypnotic suggestion that I can use on myself whenever I feel unkewl b/c of some chick music or something like that that I like. And hereitgo: "Mrs. President."
Yup. Works every time.
Too bad about the country though.

[nton]

the MSM is not all over this because there's no video or pix or even audio that they can endlessly loop for a nation with the attention span of a 3 year old...

[DoninJoisey]

My theory is that Clintons doing the immoral isn't news.
If she would be honest and admit her Iraq war vote was wrong, THAT would be news.

[hubbstan]

The problem is that less educated people having problem to get this information. They are more likely to take Clinton's words. Some praised Hillary's health care plan but how can we trust her to make the plan work?

Hillary said that "Lobbyists represent real Americans." But American who?
http://pop.youtube.com/watch?v=24pDGQF6UW8&feature=related

It is Obama who called her out on that and tell American people the truth: http://pop.youtube.com/watch?v=lQK84pmCfBY&feature=related

[MPeter]

I completely agree with the premise of this story. Fox and the Republicans are waiting for the right moment, keeping the story and many more about the Clintons on ice. The Clintons have a full DumpTruck of unsavory stories; stories of corruption, dirty dealings and influence-peddling that will sink her Presidential bid. The MSM needs to address these questions at length and in detail, early on before she steamrolls herself and her bully hubby back into the WH. Enough of this corruption.

[Aleka]

Aye I totally agree.

I have no idea why the media isn't jumping all over this, and I am frustrated that she gets a pass while they go on beating dead horses on behalf of the Clintons. I want to know in what world it is ok to print stupid uninformed op-eds about Wright by Clinton surrogates, while ignoring that half her campaign and her husband take money from the Colombians she professes, to oppose.

It is astounding.

[SCG]

If a similar Obama story turned up. They'd be on it, ALL the news networks, for days. As someone in the blog said, what if you substituted Michelle for Bill? Would Barack's protests of holding differing views still dismiss the conflict of interests? The media has been Hillary friendly from the very beginning. It's just that there's more flotsam and jetsam swirling around her. She doesn't help her cause by acting petty and fabricating either.

[Desiderata]

Do you know that if Senator Clinton owned complete collections of ABBA and the Carpenters, with Jethro Tull sandwiched in between; and Democrats picked candidates based on their oldies but goodies collections, she would already be the nominee.

[PragmaticProgressive]

I do not know whay this isn't a bigger story in the MSM.

Must be an example of the "double standard" Clinton has been complaining about.

[Countess]

Hillary and Bill Clinton represent so much that is wrong with politics. Her negatives are high now so imagine after all the stories come out about who is giving him money for the library after having been given pardons. We need a fresh start.