Little-Acorn
New member
No, not that Clinton. But a very close relative, who might conceivably have some sway over the "other" Clinton's decision, should they wind up in the White House.
Federal law prohibits contributions by foreigners to the campaign of someone running for U.S. federal office. The "contributions" described here, do not fall under those laws, because this particular Clinton isn't running for any office, despite what he once said about voters getting a "2-for-1 deal" with their Presidential vote.
But the laws are there for the purpose of ensuring that there is no foreign influence exerted on decisions made in the White House and other Federal offices. These "contributions" don't violate the letter of the law. But do they keep within its spirit?
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http://opinionjournal.com
Exceprpt from "Best of the Web"
by James Taranto
Man Without a Party
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/31/us/politics/31donor.html?pagewanted=all
The New York Times uncovers a scandal involving a former president:
*** QUOTE ***
Late on Sept. 6, 2005, a private plane carrying the Canadian mining financier Frank Giustra touched down in Almaty, a ruggedly picturesque city in southeast Kazakhstan. Several hundred miles to the west a fortune awaited: highly coveted deposits of uranium that could fuel nuclear reactors around the world. And Mr. Giustra was in hot pursuit of an exclusive deal to tap them.
Unlike more established competitors, Mr. Giustra was a newcomer to uranium mining in Kazakhstan, a former Soviet republic. But what his fledgling company lacked in experience, it made up for in connections. Accompanying Mr. Giustra on his luxuriously appointed MD-87 jet that day was a former president of the United States, Bill Clinton.
Upon landing on the first stop of a three-country philanthropic tour, the two men were whisked off to share a sumptuous midnight banquet with Kazakhstan's president, Nursultan A. Nazarbayev, whose 19-year stranglehold on the country has all but quashed political dissent.
Mr. Nazarbayev walked away from the table with a propaganda coup, after Mr. Clinton expressed enthusiastic support for the Kazakh leader's bid to head an international organization that monitors elections and supports democracy. Mr. Clinton's public declaration undercut both American foreign policy and sharp criticism of Kazakhstan's poor human rights record by, among others, Mr. Clinton's wife, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York.
*** END QUOTE ***
Less than 48 hours later, Giustra's company signed a deal giving it the rights to buy into three Kazakh uranium projects. Months later, Giustra secretly donated $31.3 million to Mr. Clinton's charitable foundations.
BTW, to what party does this Bill Clinton, and his wife the senator, belong? In 2,800 words, the Times never tells us. That can mean only one thing: not Republican.
Federal law prohibits contributions by foreigners to the campaign of someone running for U.S. federal office. The "contributions" described here, do not fall under those laws, because this particular Clinton isn't running for any office, despite what he once said about voters getting a "2-for-1 deal" with their Presidential vote.
But the laws are there for the purpose of ensuring that there is no foreign influence exerted on decisions made in the White House and other Federal offices. These "contributions" don't violate the letter of the law. But do they keep within its spirit?
-----------------------------------
http://opinionjournal.com
Exceprpt from "Best of the Web"
by James Taranto
Man Without a Party
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/31/us/politics/31donor.html?pagewanted=all
The New York Times uncovers a scandal involving a former president:
*** QUOTE ***
Late on Sept. 6, 2005, a private plane carrying the Canadian mining financier Frank Giustra touched down in Almaty, a ruggedly picturesque city in southeast Kazakhstan. Several hundred miles to the west a fortune awaited: highly coveted deposits of uranium that could fuel nuclear reactors around the world. And Mr. Giustra was in hot pursuit of an exclusive deal to tap them.
Unlike more established competitors, Mr. Giustra was a newcomer to uranium mining in Kazakhstan, a former Soviet republic. But what his fledgling company lacked in experience, it made up for in connections. Accompanying Mr. Giustra on his luxuriously appointed MD-87 jet that day was a former president of the United States, Bill Clinton.
Upon landing on the first stop of a three-country philanthropic tour, the two men were whisked off to share a sumptuous midnight banquet with Kazakhstan's president, Nursultan A. Nazarbayev, whose 19-year stranglehold on the country has all but quashed political dissent.
Mr. Nazarbayev walked away from the table with a propaganda coup, after Mr. Clinton expressed enthusiastic support for the Kazakh leader's bid to head an international organization that monitors elections and supports democracy. Mr. Clinton's public declaration undercut both American foreign policy and sharp criticism of Kazakhstan's poor human rights record by, among others, Mr. Clinton's wife, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York.
*** END QUOTE ***
Less than 48 hours later, Giustra's company signed a deal giving it the rights to buy into three Kazakh uranium projects. Months later, Giustra secretly donated $31.3 million to Mr. Clinton's charitable foundations.
BTW, to what party does this Bill Clinton, and his wife the senator, belong? In 2,800 words, the Times never tells us. That can mean only one thing: not Republican.
