The FBI reportedly approached the Justice Department earlier this
year, requesting an investigation into the Clinton Foundation, but the
public integrity probe was declined, according to a new report.
The investigation, based on CNN’s reporting,
was shot down because the Department of Justice could not find
sufficient evidence to open such an investigation into Hillary and Bill
Clinton’s charitable organization. This revelation comes amid a new
release of Hillary Clinton’s emails by watchdog group Judicial Watch and
raises even more questions about the objectivity of Attorney General
Loretta Lynch’s Justice Department.
Lynch was the subject of sharp criticism last month when it was
revealed that she and former President Bill Clinton met privately just
days before the FBI was scheduled to interview Hillary Clinton as part
of its investigation into her use of a private email server during her
time as secretary of state.
Among the 44 previously-unreleased emails
obtained by Judicial Watch was an exchange that shines light on the
tangled relationship the Clinton Foundation had with the State
Department during Clinton’s tenure there.
Doug Band, the former head of the Clinton Foundation, contacted
Clinton’s top aides, including chief of staff Cheryl Mills and senior
advisor Huma Abedin, in April 2009, informing them it’s “important to
take care of” an individual whose name was redacted. The subject line of
the email was “A favor.” It appears the person may have been seeking a
job at the State Department.
In another email, sent by Band on April 25, 2009, he asked Abedin and
Mills to help put Lebanese-Nigerian billionaire Gilbert Chagoury in
communication with the State Department’s “substance person” on issues
regarding Lebanon. Chagoury has given millions to the Clinton Foundation
and in 2009 pledged $1 billion to help with one of the Clinton Global
Initiative’s initiatives.
“This is very important,” Band wrote. “As you know, he’s a key guy there and to us and is loved in Lebanon. Very imp.”
The Clinton campaign was quick to push back against any suggestion
these emails show a conflict of interest or insinuate any wrong doing by
Clinton.
“Neither of these emails involve the secretary or relate to the
Foundation’s work,” Clinton campaign spokesman Josh Schwerin told CNN in
an emailed statement. “They are communications between her aides and
the President’s personal aide, and indeed the recommendation was for one
of the Secretary’s former staffers who was not employed by the
Foundation.”
The campaign said Chagoury was not seeking any favors, but instead
only wanted to offer his insights on the then-upcoming Lebanese
election. Schwerin also slammed the “right-wing organization”
responsible for the lawsuit — Judicial Watch.
“The right-wing organization behind this lawsuit has been attacking
the Clintons since the 1990s and no matter how this group tries to
mischaracterize these documents,” he said, “the fact remains that
Hillary Clinton never took action as secretary of state because of
donations to the Clinton Foundation.”
Donald Trump, Clinton’s Republican rival, jumped quickly on the revelation, slamming Clinton for her “pay-to-play” politicking.
“Once again, the Department of Justice has protected Hillary Clinton.
Earlier this year the DOJ denied a request from the FBI to investigate
her pay-to-play, corrupt Clinton Foundation,” the Trump campaign wrote
in an email to supporters. “News of its rejection comes immediately
after leaked emails exposed a concerning link between the Clinton
Foundation and the State Department!”
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