Yesterday, the CEO of the Clinton Foundation, Donna Shalala, went on MSNBC and openly admitted to engaging in "pay-for-play" activities saying there is "no question" that Foundation donors received "courtesy appointments" during Hillary's tenure as Secretary of State. Somehow, Shalala would like for us to believe that so long as appointees weren't put in a position to impact policy decisions then there is no real issue. I guess we should just ignore that taxpayers are funding the salaries of those appointees and paying for their government-related travel all over the world while Hillary gets to accrue "political capital" and her Foundation gets to continue raking in the donations?
Shalala also seems to invoke the Donna Brazile (new DNC Chair) defense who previously told ABC that "someone who is a donor..saying I want access" isn't an issue and anyone who suggests otherwise is just attempting to "criminalize behavior that is normal" (see out previous post "New DNC Chair Says Outrage Over Clinton's Pay-To-Play Is Attempt To 'Criminalize Normal Behavior'").
"First of all there is no question there were phone calls made to get appointments for people."
"There were also business people. There is no question about that."
"I don't see evidence that there was policy decisions made as a result of that other than courtesy appointments. And people in public life are used to doing that kind of — that is, making courtesy appointments for people. I certainly did it as secretary [of Health and Human Services] with requests from Republicans in Congress so I don't find it unusual. We have to be careful that it's not linked to policy decisions as opposed to simply seeing prominent people that ask for appointments."
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"someone who is a donor..saying I want access" isn't an issue and anyone who suggests otherwise is just attempting to "criminalize behavior that is normal"
ReplyDeleteThis has always been criminal behavior. The DNC and the GOP have just made it the norm.
That doesn't make it right.
VOTE TRUMP!
My parents owned a shop on the boardwalk back in the days before bottled water. If some one asked for ice water we would give it to them a "courtesy cup" which was a little smaller than the standard cup without the company logo so it cost less to give away. It was free.
ReplyDeleteIf an event has "courtesy parking" it is free to park.
"Courtesy transportation" from an airport is free.
Good dealerships offer a "Courtesy car" for longer term repairs. It's a free loaner.
Paying a political candidate with the expectation of a meeting to lobby them is not a "courtesy" by the definition of the English language.