Lobbyist for Pakistan Maxed Out Donations to Clinton
The following piece was produced by the HuffPost's OffTheBus.
Like others in the race for the White House, Hillary Clinton has strong words for Pakistan, but has yet to propose the United States seriously consider limiting its aid to the country. But unlike the other leading Democratic presidential hopefuls, Edwards and Obama, she has accepted tens of thousands of dollars from Pakistan's lobbyists, Cassidy & Associates. Its founder, Gerald Cassidy, long ago maxed out his donations to her.
According to the Foreign Agents Registration Act website, Pakistan recently hired Cassidy and Associates for a one year, $1.2 million/year contract. The Cassidy contract with Pakistan makes for good reading. For the $1.2 million, "target audiences will be identified for critical message reception," and Cassidy will inventively move beyond pushing pieces in the mainstream media, also focusing on blog outreach. In other words, Cassidy will shill and propagandize for one year, and use its contacts in Washington--presumably including Clinton--to ensure that the billions in aid are not diminished, regardless of what the government does to its citizens and its elections. According to The Hill, Pakistan's lead lobbyist is Robin Raphel, who served in the Clinton administration.
While not prohibited by law, accepting such a donation necessarily raises questions about the effect this relationship--and similar ones--will have on her policies in the White House towards Pakistan should she win the 2008 contest, or in the US Senate should she not. The influence of money is never straightforward, of course. Joe Biden, the other democratic Presidential candidate to receive money from Cassidy, has called for cutting off support to Pakistan if it does not change course.
The Pakistan example is not isolated. Foreign influence from around the globe is present behind the curtains in our electoral process, as lobbyists and lawyers for Russian oligarchs, African dictators, and Middle Eastern sheiks donate heavily to the Presidential campaigns. DLA Piper, a massive campaign contributor, represents the President of the Cote D'ivoire, the Prime Minister of the UAE, the Government of Ethiopia, and the Government of Turkey. Oleg Deripaska, the powerful Russian oligarch, has hired Alston & Bird--the employees of which have already donated over $100,000 to Presidential campaigns.
DLA Piper, for a fee of $1.2 million/year agreed to provide lobbying and governmental relations services to Turkey including, but not limited to: "Preventing the introduction, debate, and passage of legislation that harms turkey's interest or image."
All told, DLA Piper has given half a million to candidates in the 2008 cycle, including nearly $300,000 to Clinton's campaign. John Merrigan, whose name is on the Turkish contract, has personally bundled over $100,000 for Clinton.
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Uh Oh, wait till Bill finds out----he will start pointing his finger again.....
I always thought that foreign relations were determined by diplomacy. We had been concerned about grifts, remember? What in the world are these lobbyists doing : State department work with Congressmen? Since when do we allow Congress to take contributions from these foreign representatives? Our elections, I thought, were for the sake of electing representatives for our own country, for our own leaders, right? Shouldn't foreign involvement in our election be illegal?
That Explains it! I was beginning to wonder why
Michael Mad, "V" as in viper "Wad,"(as opposed to Medved)was being so hard upon Hillary( on his radio "venom and rant fest" that is), although she has supported
every war that the "V" for "Viper" has ever
cheerled for. I guess he hates Pakistan even more than he has ever hated Iraq, Iran or any
other Middle-Eastern country!
Hahhahaha! So f--ing what!! The Bush Family & their friends got over $1.5B from the same Saudis that helped sponsor the attacks on 9/11.
I am not a big Hillary fan. However, I would vote for her over any republican.
I am a big Hillary fan although I think she is a smart capable individual. I agree with other commentators that HuffPost seems to be engaging in anti-Hillary crusade.
The media loves the money from campaign advertising, and therefore the media is not about to report the flow of money to the politicians. It will be a cold day in hell when Americans force the politicians to stop taking huge amounts of money from lobbyists.
More & more I fear voting for Clinton will be a monumental mistake. She's CLEARLY covering all her bases, at AMERICA'S expense. Edwards or Obama have acquired my attention and my allegiance.
Anderson Cooper's "Keeping Them Honest" reported that Dumbya & Darth give more than 100 MILLION per MONTH to Pakistan. More than 10.5 BILLION dollars since 2001 have gone to PAKISTAN!!! ...a country that offers REFUGE to our #1 enemy!!!
WHY ON GOD'S GREEN EARTH are we FUNDING (instead of FIGHTING) terrorists in Pakistan? Shouldn't we be shocking & aweing Pakistan, to "liberate" the Pakistanis from Al-Qaeda and THEIR deadly, dangerous Dictator?
Our fearless leaders continue their support of Pakistan, HOST (not hostile) country to Osama Bin Laden AND his new & improved Al-Qaeda Recruitment Training Camp. And of course we wouldn't want to stir up trouble in Saudi Arabia, HOME to most of the 911 terrorists. THEY are our "friends"? FOR HOW LONG? For how long will our fearless leaders be comfortable contributing to, and cavorting with, THE ENEMY?
We The People MUST STOP Dumbya & Darth from this INSANITY AGAINST HUMANITY!
Stay safe, healthy and happy,
Love, Loretta
Is this surprising? It's clear to everyone that Hillary will do ANYTHING to get elected. Say anything, take money from anyone...
And who perpetuates it? Well, how often has the MSM run stories about how much money the candidates are raising, versus what their opinions are, or even polls? This isn't an election..
Though I mostly agree with Ms. Teachout's opinion, I definitely think her time, ink, and research would have been better served if she wrote on the MOST INFLUENTIAL AND POWERFUL lobby that WE ALL KNOW, yet for *unknown reasons* NEVER BROUGHT UP FOR SCRUTINY (I wonder why?) and that is the PRO-ISRAELI LOBBIES LIKE AIPAC, ZOA, and partisan CUFI, NORPAC, etc.
Honestly, if enough Americans knew and understood the influence the Israeli lobby has on both political parties, maybe then we may be able to see why, both political parties (normally at each others throats) bond together like long lost soul-mates and declare their unflinching support for the "security of the Jewish state."
Now that's the lobby that I want to see covered and addressed as eloquently was done by the late, giant of American MLA Palestinian Professor Dr. Edward Said.
The much publicized lead of Senator Clinton in the polls has clearly highlighted to me more than ever that if it is indeed true, then Democrats and liberals who spent the last seven years scorning Republicans are hypocrites on issues such as: stopping the Iraq war, preventing the Iran war, protecting civil liberties, avoiding the dynasties of two political families, improving transparency in government and limiting lobbyist and corporate influence on policy to mention but a few.
If Democrats and liberals truly believed in these issues as they claim, there is no way that they would all blindly rally around Senator Clinton when there are so many better candidates running and who do not have the same number of obvious past, current and future shortcomings and scandals waiting to erupt.
More of these appearances of potential conflict- of –interest will keep coming up and I believe that the Republican party operatives are just salivating for the chance to expose even more real or manufactured issues . How can an electorate be so blind when so much is at stake??
She is a status quo candidate, but this is a change election.
I am afraid she can't win with all these lobbyist ties even without including this particular one.
Hillary '08: Government of the lobbyists, by the lobbyists, for the lobbyists.
Obama's wife traveled to Europe begging for campaign funds...an
Yesterday Ron Paul collected 4.2 million dollars from 35,000 American donors. He did not ask for or organize this grass roots effort. Of course just as the MSN does not want you to know where Bill and Hillary's money is coming from, they also want to taint Paul honest fund raising record by focusing on the Nov 4th Guy Fawkes history.
Well Nov 11th is Veterans Day and Paul's independent campaign will rise to the occasion once again i.e. another record.
Lets see if MSN will report on our revolution.
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