Clinton v Obama and IRS v Rezko - Which One Has Legs?

[K Gardner]

http://www.buzzflash.com/articles/editorblog/056 - Buzzflash Editor Mark Karlin Blog

<snip>
Furthermore, there is nothing to indicate in any of the long investigations of Rezko that Obama offered any quid pro quo for campaign contributions, similar to the situation that the Clintons have found themselves in when having to deal with rogue donors. The offering of a contract, job, or favorable government regulation is what makes such a donor-politician relationship a crime. If the mere receipt of money by unsavory operators were illegal, the Clintons and almost every other poltician would have been in jail a long time ago.
<snip>

The far more uncertain revelation that is hanging out there is what potentially explosive information is in the income tax returns of Senator Hillary and former President Bill Clinton. Barack Obama has released his income tax returns, rendering his financial situation utterly transparent. Senator Clinton, however, has refused to release her joint income tax returns until after she were to be nominated by the Democratic Party. When queried about this by Tim Russert during the Cleveland debate, Clinton was evasive and downright clumsy in her explanation. She told the nation that she hardly has time to sleep, let alone deal with a tax return. Are we to believe that Senator Clinton needs time to get her calculator out and do her own tax returns, as Bill sits by her side?

No, Senator Clinton is not releasing her tax returns because there is obviously something in them that she doesn't want to come out until -- and if -- she gets the nomination. People who worry about a ticking bombshell should sure be worried about that one, because she could release them now with one phone call to the accountants. The Clintons have gone from being millions of dollars in debt when they left office to having assets estimated up to $50 million now. And Bill is off receiving commissions on some financial dealings with shady world leaders and financiers. When will we know the details about these transactions? Since Senator Clinton lent her campaign $5 million, did some of the money come from Bill's "rainmaker" fees?

Then there is the second issue of the incestuous relationship between contributors to Bill Clinton's library and charitable funds. It is rumored that he has accepted money from at least some foreign contributors who might be seeking favorable relationships in a Hillary Clinton administration. When asked about why these contributors are not revealed, Senator Clinton pulls a rope-a-dope and claims that it is a decision that is up to Bill, as if she is powerless to influence him. Once again, where is the transparency? If there is nothing to hide, why is it being hidden?


Well, Senator Clinton, as transparent and as vetted as she claims to be, isn't telling us. <snip>

[leftofcool]

1. Do we have proof

that Bill Clinton is worth 50 mil and or proof that his dealings are all with shady characters? If I had made several million dollars off of just one book, I think I could afford to lend my campaign money with no problem.

Left of Cool

[K Gardner]

4. Try this, although you'll have to actually read it. Its four pages long.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/20/us/politics/20clinton.html

[leftofcool]

11. already read it

[RaleighNCDUer]

9. I doubt that ALL his dealings are with shady characters,

but considering the amounts you're talking about, I have no doubt they've attracted their share. Anybody, dealing with millions, will attract vultures.

[indimuse]

2. can't wait to hear more about rezko and the rest..

thank you;)

[K Gardner]

6. You don't have anymore David Duke to post? Pity.

[indimuse]

13. Was a Politico article..

and don't know WHO DD is...

[K Gardner]

14. You don't? Did Skinner locking your thread erase your memory of what you posted?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=4818179&mesg_id=4818179

[The Anti-Bush]

23. OMG! I can't believe that got posted on here! n/t

[ElsewheresDaughter]

3. Rezko

[The Anti-Bush]

24. Just curious about your image...

Did you do that to it...Change it from Hope to Hype? Or did you find it like that somewhere?

[flyarm]

5. Patrick Fitzgerald started with 1 indictment in another Chicago case & ended up with how many? 60??

just a quick overview...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Fitzgerald



Soon after becoming U.S. Attorney for Northern Illinois, Fitzgerald began an investigation of political appointees of Republican Illinois Governor George Ryan, who were suspected of accepting bribes to give licenses to unqualified truck drivers. Fitzgerald soon expanded this investigation, uncovering a network of political bribery and gift-giving, and leading to more than 60 indictments. Ryan, who did not seek re-election in 2002, was indicted in December 2003. At the conclusion of the trial, in April 2006, Ryan was found guilty on all eighteen counts against him. Ryan's co-defendant, Chicago businessman Larry Warner, 67, was convicted of racketeering conspiracy, fraud, attempted extortion, and money laundering. The two were sentenced on 6 September 2006: Ryan received a sentence of six and one half years, and Warner received a sentence of three years, five months.<7>

Against criticism that these cases were based on circumstantial evidence, Fitzgerald responded: "People now know that if you're part of a corrupt conduct, where one hand is taking care of the other and contracts are going to people, you don't have to say the word 'bribe' out loud.... And I think people need to understand we won't be afraid to take strong circumstantial cases into court."<8>

On July 18, 2005, Fitzgerald's office indicted a number of top aides to Democrat Richard M. Daley, the mayor of Chicago, on charges of mail fraud, alleging numerous instances of corruption in hiring practices at City Hall. Fitzgerald is also investigating the administration of current Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. An investigation announced on December 30, 2005 will review contracts between the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority and vendors who signed leases to occupy the recently remodeled Illinois Tollway oases. Fitzgerald's office is investigating possible conflicts of interest between these vendors and one of Blagojevich's top fundraisers, Antoin Rezko.

[K Gardner]

7. This has what exactly to do with Hillary's IRS returns? Deflect and defer much?

[RaleighNCDUer]

10. And in spite of all that, there is STILL nothing on Obama.

Rezko is no story, where Obama is concerned, which is pretty remarkable in itself considering how deeply embedded Rezko was with the political establishment, all the way up to the governor.

[K Gardner]

8. Waiting for one reason HRC won't release her IRS records. Anybody?

[paulk]

12. Rezko - whether or not there's a "quid pro quo", it's not going

to look good for Obama when it becomes more generally known that he's had a relationship - a close relationship - going back for many years with a convicted felon. And with Fitzgerald's teeth in Rezko's hide, you can bet that he will be convicted. We had all better hope that Obama's hands are clean in this matter.

The IRS issue is the usual smear mongering that campaigns, or even more usually the RW press, goes after Democrats with. It's all innuendo. The "incestuous relationship between between contributors to Bill Clinton's library and charitable funds" is a right wing smear campaign that continued mention of has gotten people kicked off of DU over.

[K Gardner]

15. It was written by the editor of Buzzflash.

[paulk]

20. I know who it was written by.

[Recursion]

18. So Waxman is part of this RW smear campaign?

He's the one trying to get the records, after all.

[paulk]

21. do you know the whole story?

it has to do with a compromise reached with the Republicans to get access to Rove and other's records-

Like I said - it's the REPUBLICANS who are behind this.



-------------------

Waxman to probe Clinton files




In a concession to Republicans, House Oversight Committee Chairman Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.) has promised to ask the National Archives for documents relating to President Bill Clinton’s Office of Political Affairs.

As a result, a Democratic push to investigate the activities of former White House senior adviser Karl Rove and other aides to President Bush could mean fresh scrutiny and publicity for long-forgotten meetings and presentations during the Clinton administration.

In a letter this week, Waxman suggested Republicans satisfy their curiosity by reexamining what he estimates are more than 2 million pages of documents about the Clinton White House and the Democratic National Committee that House investigators amassed in the 1990s.

The extraordinary search was prompted by revelations that Bush aides have conducted political briefings for GOP appointees at federal agencies before big elections. Democrats have complained that the sessions could violate the Hatch Act, which is designed to insulate federal employees from political pressure.

[sandnsea]

22. Aw jesus christ it is not

How fucking many convicts have to be connected to the Clintons for you to wake the hell up? I do not for the love of god understand the absolute adoration for those two. Chatwal, Gupta, Giustra, Hsu, Chung, Huang, and on and on. These are real, not right wing smears at all. There is a shit storm waiting if she gets the nomination, and this doesn't even include his affairs and they WILL come out too.

[ContinentalOp]

16. Why are candidates allowed to loan money to their campaigns anyway?

Isn't that just a back door for unlimited campaign contributions? Couldn't someone just hire Bill for a "speaking engagement," he gives a little 1/2 hour speech and they pay him $5 million which goes directly to the campaign? Shouldn't the candidates themselves be held to the individual donor limits?

[Recursion]

17. The more worrying HRC story is the Clinton Library donors

There's a reason she's called "The Senator from Mumbai"

[K Gardner]

19. The Saudi Royal Family, whom Ickes ran ads against in 2004, ironically enough

http://www.nysun.com/article/5137

LITTLE ROCK, ARK. — President Clinton's new $165 million library here was funded in part by gifts of $1 million or more each from the Saudi royal family and three Saudi businessmen.

The governments of Dubai, Kuwait, and Qatar and the deputy prime minister of Lebanon all also appear to have donated $1 million or more for the archive and museum that opened last week.

RELATED: Top Donors to the William J. Clinton Presidential Foundation

Democrats spent much of the presidential campaign this year accusing President Bush of improperly close ties to Saudi Arabia. The case was made in Michael Moore's film "Fahrenheit 9/11," in a bestselling book by Craig Unger titled "House of Bush, House of Saud," and by the Democratic presidential candidate, Senator Kerry."This administration delayed pressuring the Saudis," Mr. Kerry said on October 20. "I will insist that the Saudis crack down on charities that funnel funds to terrorists... and on anti-American and anti-Israel hate speech."The Media Fund, a Democratic group whose president is a former Clinton White House aide, Harold Ickes, spent millions airing television commercials in swing states with scripts such as, "The Saudi royal family...wealthy...powerful...corrupt. And close Bush family friends."

Perhaps as a result, the Saudi donations to the Clinton library are raising some eyebrows. Mr. Unger said he suspects that the Saudi support may have something to do with a possible presidential bid by Senator Clinton in 2008.

"They want to keep their options open no matter who's in power and whether that's four years from now or whatever," the author said. "Just a few million is nothing to them to keep their options

[Forkboy]

25. Neither.