Group Fights for Records on Clinton Foundation Donor on Panel

Conservative watchdog group Citizens United is pursuing legal action against the State Department in an attempt to compel the agency to hand over records involving a major Clinton Foundation donor who was assigned to a government intelligence advisory board despite no evident qualifications for the job.

Citizens United attorneys appeared in federal court Friday to argue the case against Rajiv Fernando, a stock trader and Democratic donor.

“The only reason why Mr. Fernando was appointed to this board of security experts was because of his big donations to the Clinton Foundation,” David Bossie, the president of Citizens United, toldABC News. “The American people have a right to see these documents before the November election.”

ABC News reported in early June that Fernando, who specialized in electronic investing, sat on the International Security Advisory Board to help advise Clinton on nuclear weapons issues while she served as secretary of state.

The panel is composed primarily of nuclear scientists, security experts, and former members of Congress, raising questions from ABC News in 2012 over Fernando’s lack of experience in the field.

“As you can see from the attached, it’s natural to ask how he got onto the board when compared to the rest of the esteemed list of members,” Jamie Mannina, a former Clinton press aide, wrote in one of the emails.

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