[h=2]State Department Halts Clinton Email Investigation Due to Request From FBI[/h]SHARE
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BY: Alana Goodman
April 1, 2016 4:04 pm
The State Department is halting its internal investigation into Hillary Clinton’s private email server to avoid interfering with an ongoing FBI probe, ABC News reported on Friday.
The move was in response to a formal directive from the FBI. A State Department spokesperson told ABC News that it is “standard practice” for agencies to defer to the FBI in such cases, and did not rule out reopening the internal review after law enforcement completes its investigation:
Four of Clinton’s closest advisers are being represented by the same attorney, Beth Wilkinson,Politico reported on Friday, a strategy that indicates they all plan to tell the same story to investigators.
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Hillary Clinton / AP
BY: Alana Goodman
April 1, 2016 4:04 pm
The State Department is halting its internal investigation into Hillary Clinton’s private email server to avoid interfering with an ongoing FBI probe, ABC News reported on Friday.
The move was in response to a formal directive from the FBI. A State Department spokesperson told ABC News that it is “standard practice” for agencies to defer to the FBI in such cases, and did not rule out reopening the internal review after law enforcement completes its investigation:
In January the department revealed that during its review of Clinton’s 52,000 pages of private email it had come across 22 documents that had to be upgraded to “Top Secret” and totally withheld from public release. It said at the time that it would conduct a separate internal review to determine if the secret information in those emails had been mishandled at the time the emails were sent.
Today the State Department said it is deferring that judgment to the FBI, which is conducting a more comprehensive security review of Clinton’s email. The outcome of that investigation is highly anticipated amid the 2016 election cycle. Clinton has said she is confident that will not happen and that she did not break any laws with her use of a private email server during her tenure as secretary of state.
The State Department’s decision comes on the heels of reports that the FBI investigation has progressed to the interview stage. The Los Angeles Times reported on Monday that federal prosecutors are preparing to interview Clinton’s top aides.Today the State Department said it is deferring that judgment to the FBI, which is conducting a more comprehensive security review of Clinton’s email. The outcome of that investigation is highly anticipated amid the 2016 election cycle. Clinton has said she is confident that will not happen and that she did not break any laws with her use of a private email server during her tenure as secretary of state.
Four of Clinton’s closest advisers are being represented by the same attorney, Beth Wilkinson,Politico reported on Friday, a strategy that indicates they all plan to tell the same story to investigators.
[h=2]Todd Presses Clinton on Poor Record of Transparency, FBI Investigation into Emails[/h]Clinton: The FBI hasn't reached out for an interview yet
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BY: David Rutz
April 3, 2016 10:26 am
NBC’s Chuck Todd pressed Hillary Clinton on Sunday on her poor record of transparency and the FBI investigation into her private server at the State Department.
Todd read out an excerpt of an editorial from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, which excoriated Clinton for her “horrible track record on transparency” and encouraged voters not to forget that when they voted in the Democratic primary on Tuesday:
“Well, it’s just a wrong set of assertions and conclusions, and as you may know, I’ve received the vast majority of newspaper endorsements,” Clinton said. “They all have the same information … So let me just say again, I sent emails to government employees on their government accounts. I had every reason to believe that they were in the government system. It was a matter of convenience. I’ve said repeatedly it was not the best choice. It was a mistake, but I think that anybody who’s actually looked at this has concluded that I have now put out all of my emails.”
Clinton deleted 30,000 emails she deemed of a personal nature from the server, however, and questions remain about her potential mishandling of classified information. Reports last week indicated Clinton will be interviewed soon by the FBI as it concludes its investigation and weighs any criminal charges.
“Has the FBI reached out to you yet for an interview?” Todd asked.
“No, no, they haven’t,” Clinton said. “Back in August, we made clear that I’m happy to answer any questions that anybody might have, and I stand by that.”
“Are you concerned that this isn’t going to wrap up before the convention?” Todd asked.
“No, I’m not, because I don’t think anything inappropriate was done,” she said. “I have to let them decide how to resolve their security inquiry, but I’m not at all worried about it.”
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BY: David Rutz
April 3, 2016 10:26 am
NBC’s Chuck Todd pressed Hillary Clinton on Sunday on her poor record of transparency and the FBI investigation into her private server at the State Department.
Todd read out an excerpt of an editorial from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, which excoriated Clinton for her “horrible track record on transparency” and encouraged voters not to forget that when they voted in the Democratic primary on Tuesday:
Her horrible track record on transparency raises serious concerns for open government under a Clinton administration — so serious we believe they may disqualify her from public office. We hope Wisconsin voters give this issue the consideration it deserves when they go to the polls on Tuesday.
The issue immediately at hand — and under investigation by the FBI — is Clinton’s use of a private email server for State Department communications. Clinton may have violated national security laws by making top secret documents vulnerable to hackers and available to people without proper security clearance. Violating those laws rightly ended the public service career of Gen. David Petraeus when he was President Barack Obama’s CIA director. The FBI and Justice Department must be free to fully investigate and, if warranted, prosecute Clinton in this matter without any political interference from the Obama administration.
In addition, regardless of Clinton’s excuses, the only believable reason for the private server in her basement was to keep her emails out of the public eye by willfully avoiding freedom of information laws. No president, no secretary of state, no public official at any level is above the law. She chose to ignore it, and must face the consequences.
“This issue of secrecy or the accusation that you’re secretive has followed you for quite some time,” Todd said. “Is there any way you think you can at least convince Wisconsin voters that’s not the case?”The issue immediately at hand — and under investigation by the FBI — is Clinton’s use of a private email server for State Department communications. Clinton may have violated national security laws by making top secret documents vulnerable to hackers and available to people without proper security clearance. Violating those laws rightly ended the public service career of Gen. David Petraeus when he was President Barack Obama’s CIA director. The FBI and Justice Department must be free to fully investigate and, if warranted, prosecute Clinton in this matter without any political interference from the Obama administration.
In addition, regardless of Clinton’s excuses, the only believable reason for the private server in her basement was to keep her emails out of the public eye by willfully avoiding freedom of information laws. No president, no secretary of state, no public official at any level is above the law. She chose to ignore it, and must face the consequences.
“Well, it’s just a wrong set of assertions and conclusions, and as you may know, I’ve received the vast majority of newspaper endorsements,” Clinton said. “They all have the same information … So let me just say again, I sent emails to government employees on their government accounts. I had every reason to believe that they were in the government system. It was a matter of convenience. I’ve said repeatedly it was not the best choice. It was a mistake, but I think that anybody who’s actually looked at this has concluded that I have now put out all of my emails.”
Clinton deleted 30,000 emails she deemed of a personal nature from the server, however, and questions remain about her potential mishandling of classified information. Reports last week indicated Clinton will be interviewed soon by the FBI as it concludes its investigation and weighs any criminal charges.
“Has the FBI reached out to you yet for an interview?” Todd asked.
“No, no, they haven’t,” Clinton said. “Back in August, we made clear that I’m happy to answer any questions that anybody might have, and I stand by that.”
“Are you concerned that this isn’t going to wrap up before the convention?” Todd asked.
“No, I’m not, because I don’t think anything inappropriate was done,” she said. “I have to let them decide how to resolve their security inquiry, but I’m not at all worried about it.”
Hillary Clinton says 'the unborn person doesn't have constitutional rights' as she explains her stance on abortion
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said that an 'unborn person' does not have constitutional rights during a television interview on Sunday.
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While speaking on NBC's Meet the Press, Hillary Clinton said that an 'unborn person' does not have Constitutional rights
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Clinton made the statement as she responded to a question from host Chuck Todd (left) about her abortion stance and if she thinks an 'unborn child' has constitutional protections
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The former first lady explained that her position on abortion is in line with the Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade and that women have the right to make the decision about abortion. Above she is pictured during an event in Milwaukee
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Clinton said: 'Women have the Constitutional right to make these most intimate and personal and difficult decisions based on their conscience, their faith, their family, their doctor and that it is something that really goes to the core of privacy'
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While speaking on NBC's Meet the Press, Hillary Clinton said that an 'unborn person' does not have Constitutional rights
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Clinton made the statement as she responded to a question from host Chuck Todd (left) about her abortion stance and if she thinks an 'unborn child' has constitutional protections
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The former first lady explained that her position on abortion is in line with the Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade and that women have the right to make the decision about abortion. Above she is pictured during an event in Milwaukee
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Clinton said: 'Women have the Constitutional right to make these most intimate and personal and difficult decisions based on their conscience, their faith, their family, their doctor and that it is something that really goes to the core of privacy'
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Rhetoric turns bitter as Sanders hurts Clinton in Wisconsin and New York
Courtney Weaver in New York
Some Sanders supporters say they cannot bring themselves to vote for Clinton
It was meant to be a triumphant return. Introduced on stage by Congresswoman Nita Lowey as the audience’s neighbour and friend, Hillary Clinton was returning to the SUNY Purchase university campus — where she had announced her 2000 senate run — and ostensibly safe territory.
Then, 10 minutes into Mrs Clinton’s speech, the protest began. “If she wins, we lose!” two-dozen Bernie Sanders supporters chanted before walking out on the speech. Outside, dozens more Sanders supporters were waiting for them, fanning out across the auditorium entrance.
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“As they’re leaving I want to say: I have earned 9m votes in this election. I have one million more votes than Donald Trump and I have two and-a-half million more votes than Bernie Sanders,” Mrs Clinton shouted over the ensuing din. “What I regret is they don’t want to listen to anybody else.”
While Mr Trump’s comments on abortion this week might have been a unifying moment for Democrats, instead the rhetoric between the candidates has become increasingly sharp-tongued and ugly as polls show tight races in both Wisconsin and New York.
New polls from Public Policy Polling and Fox Business show Mr Sanders to be leading Mrs Clinton in Wisconsin. In New York, Mrs Clinton’s lead appears to be narrowing. A Quinnipiac University poll now shows Mrs Clinton to be only 12 points ahead of Mr Sanders in the state where she served eight years as senator. Previous polls had given Mrs Clinton a victory margin of over 20 points.
Mr Sanders still faces a near-insurmountable road to the nomination. To win, he would need to win virtually all the state contests that remain. Yet he has performed well over the past two weeks, beating Mrs Clinton in Idaho, Utah, Alaska, Hawaii and Washington. Ninety six delegates are at stake in Wisconsin, while 291 are up for grabs in New York.
At her event in Purchase, some in the crowd said they were struggling with whether to back Mrs Clinton in the primary, or even in a general election contest against Mr Trump, the Republican frontrunner.
“Do you vote for who you believe in and whose ideas you support, or do you vote for the person who you think will actually get things done? It’s a very difficult decision,” said Nicole Ehrhard, 19.
“Hillary flip-flops. She’s condescending,” said George Heynes, 21. While his parents’ generation might feel obliged to vote for the Democratic frontrunner to prevent the other party getting into office, he and his classmates did not. “People’s loyalties are to the country, not to the party.”
The increasingly fraught atmosphere was evident from Mrs Clinton’s SUNY speech, where she spent nearly as much time criticising Mr Sanders on his healthcare, climate and free college policies, as she did lambasting the MrTrump.
“We actually have to do something,” she said in a jab at Mr Sanders. “Not just complain about what is happening.”
Do you vote for who you believe in and whose ideas you support, or do you vote for the person who you think will actually get things done? It’s a very difficult decision- Nicole Ehrhard, 19
Throughout the day, she and the Sanders campaign traded barbs over Mrs Clinton’s position on the fossil fuel industry and Mr Sanders’ attitude on women’s rights.
When an activist from Greenpeace questioned Mrs Clinton over why she had accepted campaign donations from employees of fossil fuel companies, the Democratic frontrunner erupted. “I am so sick of the Sanders campaign lying about me. Sick of it,” she said, wagging a finger at the activist.
Mrs Clinton seized on a Sanders remark that the media should spend less time on “stupid, absurd” comments made by Mr Trump — including about punishing women for getting abortions — and more time on “the serious issues facing America”.
“To me [women’s rights] is a serious issue and it is a very serious discussion,” she said.
That remark riled supporters of Mr Sanders, 13,000 of whom gathered to hear the Vermont senator speak on Thursday night in a park in the south Bronx.
US election: Trump’s man in Vegas
On stage, Rosario Dawson, an actress introducing Mr Sanders, relayed the incident as the audience booed. “Shame on you, Hillary,” she said.
“Yes, she is under FBI investigation, thank you,” Ms Dawson added, after prompting from a Sanders supporter. “That’s not being promoted very much, but she is about to be interviewed in a little bit.”
In the diverse South Bronx crowd, which featured a large number of Hispanic and African American supporters, few said Mr Sanders’ remark the night before had changed their opinion of the Vermont senator.
Jamilla Hooker, who came to the rally with her partner Atikur Abdul, a bus driver and artist, and their 16 month-old daughter, said Mrs Clinton had taken Mr Sanders’ remark out of context. “Everyone who knows about Bernie’s political history over the past 40 years knows he’s all about women’s rights,” she said.
Mr Abdul said he would sit out the November general rather than vote for Mrs Clinton.
“If you rig the system and you tell us that’s who we’re supposed to vote for — that’s not democracy,” he said. “I’ve never been involved in politics this way before. I feel like I’m part of an honest movement.”
The Granny wants her some home cookin!
MSNBC “Morning Joe” host Mika Brzezinski on Monday was heavily critical of Hillary Clinton’s decision to agree to a debate moderated by ABC host and longtime Clinton ally George Stephanopoulos.
“Are you kidding me?” Brzezinski asked.
“Wait a minute,” Brzezinski said during “Morning Joe.” “She wants to do a debate with George Stephanopoulos as the moderator?” “Didn’t he work for her? Didn’t he donate to the Clinton Foundation?” she asked.
“Yes” is the answer to both of those questions.
Stephanopoulos served as communications director in the Bill Clinton White House. He has also donated $75,000 to the Clinton Foundation.
Hey! It seems only fair. :homer:
MSNBC “Morning Joe” host Mika Brzezinski on Monday was heavily critical of Hillary Clinton’s decision to agree to a debate moderated by ABC host and longtime Clinton ally George Stephanopoulos.
“Are you kidding me?” Brzezinski asked.
“Wait a minute,” Brzezinski said during “Morning Joe.” “She wants to do a debate with George Stephanopoulos as the moderator?” “Didn’t he work for her? Didn’t he donate to the Clinton Foundation?” she asked.
“Yes” is the answer to both of those questions.
Stephanopoulos served as communications director in the Bill Clinton White House. He has also donated $75,000 to the Clinton Foundation.
Hey! It seems only fair. :homer:
[h=2]I'm the real Democrat: Hillary attacks Bernie Sanders claiming he is doing nothing to help the party win a majority in the Senate[/h]
Clinton subtly called the independent senator's commitment to his adopted political party into question. She rolled out the line of attack on Saturday and hit him again this morning.
[h=2]'Our eyes connected and I thought "Wow"': Hillary Clinton's top aide Huma Abedin gushes about presidential hopeful and describes the moment they first met[/h]
Huma Abedin spoke about meeting Hillary Clinton for the first time in a new interview, where she also revealed her fears over the State Department's release of her boss' emails.
'Our eyes connected and I thought "Wow"': Hillary Clinton's top aide Huma Abedin gushes about presidential hopeful and describes the moment they first met
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Huma Abedin spoke about meeting Hillary Clinton for the first time in a new interview, where she also revealed her fears over the State Department's release of the Democratic front-runner's emails from her time as Secretary of State.
'You know these things that happen in your life that just stick? She walked by and she shook my hand and our eyes connected and I just remember having this moment where I thought; "Wow, this is amazing,"' said Abedin.
'And it just inspired me. You know, I still remember the look on her face. And it’s funny, and she would probably be so annoyed that I say this, but I remember thinking; "Oh my God, she’s so beautiful and she’s so little!"'
Clinton's top aide said on the Call Your Girlfriend podcast that she had met Clinton once before this, but just as she took a group photo with the new White House interns.
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Top aide: Huma Abedin (above in October) spoke about her boss Hillary Clinton and the moment the two first met in a recent interview
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Private communications: The top Clinton aide (above in 2010) also revealed that she is terrified about her boss' emails which are being released by the State Department
Abedin also said she was terrified about the release of her boss' emails, especially since she is on many of the exchanges that have now been made public.
'It’s something I can’t really think about, but I can’t even imagine what’s in those emails,' said Abedin.
It’s something I can’t really think about, but I can’t even imagine what’s in those emails. I would probably be mortified. I have no idea. I haven’t read any of them.
-Abedin on the Clinton emails released by the State Department
'I would probably be mortified. I have no idea. I haven’t read any of them.'
She then added; 'I have a policy. I never read anything about myself. I could count on one hand how many actual interviews I've done. I'll never read them. I just don't want to know.
'If it's about me personally, I honestly just ignore it.'
One of those exchanges between the two was about Clinton's inability to get a fax machine to work, and Abedin's repeated attempts to get her to hang up a phone so they could reestablish a connection to send her a document.
When asked about those emails, Abedin said; 'I think what you read in the email is a little bit of frustration that it wasn’t working and my frustration that she couldn’t figure it out, or whatever it was, but the backstory here is that we very often ... it wasn’t unusual that when secure faxes were coming through that we had some challenges with them coming through.'
The FBI continues to investigate the emails Clinton received on a private email server and address, while tens of thousands of her exchanges have been released so far by the State Department.
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Abedin then took some time to gush about Clinton and how she will be remembered in the future.
'I think that if my boss quit tomorrow, she will go down as one of the greatest American women in the history of the world,' said Abedin.
I think that if my boss quit tomorrow, she will go down as one of the greatest American women in the history of the world.
-Abedin speaking about Clinton's legacy
“We’re in the midst of campaigning in New York right now, and we’ve been looking through her record and the things that she did in the Senate and everyone she helped from 9/11 and beyond.
'I know she’s committed to making people’s lives better. I wish the world could see the Hillary Clinton that I see every day because it’s ... because she has done great things for this country and I’m really confident that she can do great things for - on behalf of this country when she’s our president and I’m really looking forward to it.'
She was then asked about Clinton's very vocal support of reproductive rights during this primary.
'Well I think that, you know, it’s something that she’s spoken out about a lot in this campaign and I think particularly since the other side, you know, our friends on the Republican side have suggested some pretty scary policies and especially when we have to deal with the issues of Planned Parenthoods potentially being closed down and what the Republicans did in Congress,' said Abedin.
'I mean this notion that all women should feel like they’re able to make their own decisions, not have politicians tell them what to do or how to do it but be able to give all women access to affordable, good-quality healthcare. And that’s including your reproductive health which is why I think the threat of the Planned Parenthood shutdowns were so – you know, were so scary.'
Abedin then got very personal, revealing; 'And so, you know, I even remember recently I had a little bit of a scare myself and I thought all right, I want to check myself out.
'And I’m fine. And any woman in this country should be able to go in whether it’s a cancer screening or whatever it is and say – feel like they can go and find that out and not have to worry about the cost or can I get access or how that is.
'And so that’s one of the things that I know she will continue to fight for and continue to speak out about.
Huma Abedin discusses her first meeting with Hillary Clinton
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Fangirl: Abedin (above in 2008) also said of Clinton; 'I think that if my boss quit tomorrow, she will go down as one of the greatest American women in the history of the world'
Abedin was asked at one point what Bill Clinton's role would be in the White House if his wife was elected president.
'I feel ... just that question makes me nervous,' said Abedin, acknowledging that Clinton is still battling Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primary.
I think what Senator McCain did shows what’s great about our country which is you have people who stand up and say what they believe even if it’s not the most politically sort of popular thing to do.
-Abedin speaking about Senator McCain defending her on the Senate floor in 2012 over claims she had ties to the Muslim Brotherhood
'But I think it’s fair to say that as one of the most successful Democratic presidents in the history of this country that there is nothing President Clinton can’t do. He’s one of my great inspirations for getting into public service.'
She later added; 'And so I don’t think there’s anything in the world that he can’t do.'
Abedin then joked; 'I have a feeling, though, that he will not be picking the china out and he will not be picking out the flowers for any of the events.'
It was not just her boss that Abedin praised either, also taking some time to acknowledge how grateful she was when Senator John McCain defended her on the Senate floor when Republicans in Congress began to claim she had ties to the Muslim Brotherhood during Clinton's time as Secretary of State.
'You know, I couldn’t even wrap my head around the charges. And I think what Senator McCain did, and for which I will forever be grateful, and I have to say that I felt exactly the same way about our president, President Obama, who then there was an aid reception at the White House, and he also stood up for the Muslim-Americans, including myself, who had been sort of labeled in a way that was so upsetting,' said Abedin.
'And I think what Senator McCain did shows what’s great about our country which is you have people who stand up and say what they believe even if it’s not the most politically sort of popular thing to do.'
She said she was particularly grateful at that time because people began to attack her family, who had not chosen a life in the public eye.
'But I’m hoping that that’s part of the past, you know?' said Abedin.
'And me and other Muslim- Americans don’t have to move forward in this country having to worry about things like that which again is something that really motivates me to work for this particular Democrat because I think the dialogue on the other side has become increasingly scary.'
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Controversy: Abedin's husband Anthony Weiner (pair above in July 2013) was involved in two sexting scandals in the span of two years
Abedin first began working for Clinton while she was still in college at George Washington University, being assigned to the then first lady after getting a White House internship.
She then began to work with Clinton's personal aide and took over the position when Clinton began her successful 2000 run for the US Senate in the state of New York.
I don’t think I could do this if I didn’t have the support of a spouse who is willing to basically be a stay-at- home dad.
-Abedin speaking about her relationship with husband Anthony Weiner
Abedin was just 24 years old at the time, and has been in that same position ever since, now also serving as Clinton's vice chairwoman in her current campaign for president.
She married New York Congressman Anthony Weiner in July 2010 in a ceremony that was officiated by Bill Clinton and covered in the pages of Vogue, getting pregnant with the couple's first child just a few months later.
The couple was not even a year into their marriage when news broke that Weiner had been sexting women online after he tweeted out a photo of his erect penis that he had meant to privately send a woman on the social media site.
He resigned from Congress soon after, and in December Abedin gave birth to a son, Jordan Zain Weiner.
In 2013, Weiner decided to run for mayor of New York City and also agreed to be filmed for a documentary about his return to politics.
He announced he would run in late May, but just two months later came allegations that he had continued to sext in the years after he resigned from Congress using the name Carlos Danger.
A 22-year-old named Sydney Leathers said she had been sharing messages and explicit photos with Weiner as recently as April of that year, giving interviews to multiple news outlets and even showing up at the event he hosted after losing in the mayoral primary that September.
Weiner, 51, has held various jobs since, and in 2015 appeared in the television movie Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!.
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Family: Abedin and Weiner have a son Jordan, 4, who Weiner cares for while Abedin is on the road with Clinton (family above in April 2015)
Abedin spoke about their relationship during the interview, saying; 'You know, I think that a marriage really only works in any situation, whether you’re in politics or not, if one partner is fully supportive of the other.
'I think it’s a little – it’s often a little more challenging when you’re in politics because your private life, and I think everybody craves their own privacy, and so I think your private life is displayed to the world in a way that you otherwise wouldn’t have to deal with if one spouse is a private person and the other person’s in politics as was the case certainly in my marriage.
'But I think it works if you fully support each other.'
She then noted that her husband has taken over much of the parenting of their son as she is away from home.
'I’m on the road a lot on the campaign. As I mentioned earlier I have a four-year- old son and I don’t think I could do this if I didn’t have the support of a spouse who is willing to basically be a stay-at- home dad as much as he possibly can so I’m able to be on the road,' said Abedin.
'I miss my son but I don’t worry about him because I know between this little village we’ve created between Anthony and my in-laws and my mom and our families and this wonderful woman who we have helping us I can go out and be the best professional woman that I can be because I have that support.'
She is not however planning on a run for office, saying; 'I feel like I’ve worked for a politician for a very long time. I’ve been married to a politician. I see what they go through. I’m not quite sure that I could ... I’m not quite sure that I could do that. But I have a lot of respect, a lot of respect for people who run for elected office.'
At the end of the interview Abedin also said that one of her favorite shows on television is the HBO comedy Veep, noting that it is an incredibly accurate depiction of politics in America.
'I identify with the whole show because I think to me it’s the closest thing to what Washington is and it’s just sort of all the things that people don’t want to say they say on that show and it’s done in such a funny way,' said Abedin.
In that same segment of the interview she was also asked what a podcast hosted by herself and Clinton would focus on.
Abedin said it would likely be about their love of food, or possibly shoes.
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- Huma Abedin spoke about her boss Hillary Clinton and the moment the two first met in a recent interview
- 'She walked by and she shook my hand and our eyes connected and I just remember having this moment where I thought; "Wow,"' said Abedin
- The top Clinton aide also revealed that she is terrified about her boss' emails which are being released by the State Department
- The FBI is investigating Clinton's use of a private email address and server while serving as Secretary of State
- Abedin said she has not read any of the emails and would be 'mortified' if she knew what was in them having been on most of the exchanges
- She also said of Clinton; 'I think that if my boss quit tomorrow, she will go down as one of the greatest American women in the history of the world'
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Huma Abedin spoke about meeting Hillary Clinton for the first time in a new interview, where she also revealed her fears over the State Department's release of the Democratic front-runner's emails from her time as Secretary of State.
'You know these things that happen in your life that just stick? She walked by and she shook my hand and our eyes connected and I just remember having this moment where I thought; "Wow, this is amazing,"' said Abedin.
'And it just inspired me. You know, I still remember the look on her face. And it’s funny, and she would probably be so annoyed that I say this, but I remember thinking; "Oh my God, she’s so beautiful and she’s so little!"'
Clinton's top aide said on the Call Your Girlfriend podcast that she had met Clinton once before this, but just as she took a group photo with the new White House interns.
.
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Top aide: Huma Abedin (above in October) spoke about her boss Hillary Clinton and the moment the two first met in a recent interview
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Private communications: The top Clinton aide (above in 2010) also revealed that she is terrified about her boss' emails which are being released by the State Department
Abedin also said she was terrified about the release of her boss' emails, especially since she is on many of the exchanges that have now been made public.
'It’s something I can’t really think about, but I can’t even imagine what’s in those emails,' said Abedin.
It’s something I can’t really think about, but I can’t even imagine what’s in those emails. I would probably be mortified. I have no idea. I haven’t read any of them.
-Abedin on the Clinton emails released by the State Department
'I would probably be mortified. I have no idea. I haven’t read any of them.'
She then added; 'I have a policy. I never read anything about myself. I could count on one hand how many actual interviews I've done. I'll never read them. I just don't want to know.
'If it's about me personally, I honestly just ignore it.'
One of those exchanges between the two was about Clinton's inability to get a fax machine to work, and Abedin's repeated attempts to get her to hang up a phone so they could reestablish a connection to send her a document.
When asked about those emails, Abedin said; 'I think what you read in the email is a little bit of frustration that it wasn’t working and my frustration that she couldn’t figure it out, or whatever it was, but the backstory here is that we very often ... it wasn’t unusual that when secure faxes were coming through that we had some challenges with them coming through.'
The FBI continues to investigate the emails Clinton received on a private email server and address, while tens of thousands of her exchanges have been released so far by the State Department.
.
Abedin then took some time to gush about Clinton and how she will be remembered in the future.
'I think that if my boss quit tomorrow, she will go down as one of the greatest American women in the history of the world,' said Abedin.
I think that if my boss quit tomorrow, she will go down as one of the greatest American women in the history of the world.
-Abedin speaking about Clinton's legacy
“We’re in the midst of campaigning in New York right now, and we’ve been looking through her record and the things that she did in the Senate and everyone she helped from 9/11 and beyond.
'I know she’s committed to making people’s lives better. I wish the world could see the Hillary Clinton that I see every day because it’s ... because she has done great things for this country and I’m really confident that she can do great things for - on behalf of this country when she’s our president and I’m really looking forward to it.'
She was then asked about Clinton's very vocal support of reproductive rights during this primary.
'Well I think that, you know, it’s something that she’s spoken out about a lot in this campaign and I think particularly since the other side, you know, our friends on the Republican side have suggested some pretty scary policies and especially when we have to deal with the issues of Planned Parenthoods potentially being closed down and what the Republicans did in Congress,' said Abedin.
'I mean this notion that all women should feel like they’re able to make their own decisions, not have politicians tell them what to do or how to do it but be able to give all women access to affordable, good-quality healthcare. And that’s including your reproductive health which is why I think the threat of the Planned Parenthood shutdowns were so – you know, were so scary.'
Abedin then got very personal, revealing; 'And so, you know, I even remember recently I had a little bit of a scare myself and I thought all right, I want to check myself out.
'And I’m fine. And any woman in this country should be able to go in whether it’s a cancer screening or whatever it is and say – feel like they can go and find that out and not have to worry about the cost or can I get access or how that is.
'And so that’s one of the things that I know she will continue to fight for and continue to speak out about.
Huma Abedin discusses her first meeting with Hillary Clinton
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Fangirl: Abedin (above in 2008) also said of Clinton; 'I think that if my boss quit tomorrow, she will go down as one of the greatest American women in the history of the world'
Abedin was asked at one point what Bill Clinton's role would be in the White House if his wife was elected president.
'I feel ... just that question makes me nervous,' said Abedin, acknowledging that Clinton is still battling Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primary.
I think what Senator McCain did shows what’s great about our country which is you have people who stand up and say what they believe even if it’s not the most politically sort of popular thing to do.
-Abedin speaking about Senator McCain defending her on the Senate floor in 2012 over claims she had ties to the Muslim Brotherhood
'But I think it’s fair to say that as one of the most successful Democratic presidents in the history of this country that there is nothing President Clinton can’t do. He’s one of my great inspirations for getting into public service.'
She later added; 'And so I don’t think there’s anything in the world that he can’t do.'
Abedin then joked; 'I have a feeling, though, that he will not be picking the china out and he will not be picking out the flowers for any of the events.'
It was not just her boss that Abedin praised either, also taking some time to acknowledge how grateful she was when Senator John McCain defended her on the Senate floor when Republicans in Congress began to claim she had ties to the Muslim Brotherhood during Clinton's time as Secretary of State.
'You know, I couldn’t even wrap my head around the charges. And I think what Senator McCain did, and for which I will forever be grateful, and I have to say that I felt exactly the same way about our president, President Obama, who then there was an aid reception at the White House, and he also stood up for the Muslim-Americans, including myself, who had been sort of labeled in a way that was so upsetting,' said Abedin.
'And I think what Senator McCain did shows what’s great about our country which is you have people who stand up and say what they believe even if it’s not the most politically sort of popular thing to do.'
She said she was particularly grateful at that time because people began to attack her family, who had not chosen a life in the public eye.
'But I’m hoping that that’s part of the past, you know?' said Abedin.
'And me and other Muslim- Americans don’t have to move forward in this country having to worry about things like that which again is something that really motivates me to work for this particular Democrat because I think the dialogue on the other side has become increasingly scary.'
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Controversy: Abedin's husband Anthony Weiner (pair above in July 2013) was involved in two sexting scandals in the span of two years
Abedin first began working for Clinton while she was still in college at George Washington University, being assigned to the then first lady after getting a White House internship.
She then began to work with Clinton's personal aide and took over the position when Clinton began her successful 2000 run for the US Senate in the state of New York.
I don’t think I could do this if I didn’t have the support of a spouse who is willing to basically be a stay-at- home dad.
-Abedin speaking about her relationship with husband Anthony Weiner
Abedin was just 24 years old at the time, and has been in that same position ever since, now also serving as Clinton's vice chairwoman in her current campaign for president.
She married New York Congressman Anthony Weiner in July 2010 in a ceremony that was officiated by Bill Clinton and covered in the pages of Vogue, getting pregnant with the couple's first child just a few months later.
The couple was not even a year into their marriage when news broke that Weiner had been sexting women online after he tweeted out a photo of his erect penis that he had meant to privately send a woman on the social media site.
He resigned from Congress soon after, and in December Abedin gave birth to a son, Jordan Zain Weiner.
In 2013, Weiner decided to run for mayor of New York City and also agreed to be filmed for a documentary about his return to politics.
He announced he would run in late May, but just two months later came allegations that he had continued to sext in the years after he resigned from Congress using the name Carlos Danger.
A 22-year-old named Sydney Leathers said she had been sharing messages and explicit photos with Weiner as recently as April of that year, giving interviews to multiple news outlets and even showing up at the event he hosted after losing in the mayoral primary that September.
Weiner, 51, has held various jobs since, and in 2015 appeared in the television movie Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!.
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Family: Abedin and Weiner have a son Jordan, 4, who Weiner cares for while Abedin is on the road with Clinton (family above in April 2015)
Abedin spoke about their relationship during the interview, saying; 'You know, I think that a marriage really only works in any situation, whether you’re in politics or not, if one partner is fully supportive of the other.
'I think it’s a little – it’s often a little more challenging when you’re in politics because your private life, and I think everybody craves their own privacy, and so I think your private life is displayed to the world in a way that you otherwise wouldn’t have to deal with if one spouse is a private person and the other person’s in politics as was the case certainly in my marriage.
'But I think it works if you fully support each other.'
She then noted that her husband has taken over much of the parenting of their son as she is away from home.
'I’m on the road a lot on the campaign. As I mentioned earlier I have a four-year- old son and I don’t think I could do this if I didn’t have the support of a spouse who is willing to basically be a stay-at- home dad as much as he possibly can so I’m able to be on the road,' said Abedin.
'I miss my son but I don’t worry about him because I know between this little village we’ve created between Anthony and my in-laws and my mom and our families and this wonderful woman who we have helping us I can go out and be the best professional woman that I can be because I have that support.'
She is not however planning on a run for office, saying; 'I feel like I’ve worked for a politician for a very long time. I’ve been married to a politician. I see what they go through. I’m not quite sure that I could ... I’m not quite sure that I could do that. But I have a lot of respect, a lot of respect for people who run for elected office.'
At the end of the interview Abedin also said that one of her favorite shows on television is the HBO comedy Veep, noting that it is an incredibly accurate depiction of politics in America.
'I identify with the whole show because I think to me it’s the closest thing to what Washington is and it’s just sort of all the things that people don’t want to say they say on that show and it’s done in such a funny way,' said Abedin.
In that same segment of the interview she was also asked what a podcast hosted by herself and Clinton would focus on.
Abedin said it would likely be about their love of food, or possibly shoes.
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[h=2]‘Panama Papers’ Implicate Client of Clinton-Linked Lobbying Firm[/h]Podesta Group registered to lobby for bank subsidiary weeks before tax haven leak
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BY: Lachlan Markay
April 5, 2016 5:00 am
A firm with ties to senior members of the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign registered to lobby on behalf of a major Russian bank just weeks before a massive leak exposed the bank’s role in a web of secret financial dealings that have enriched members of Russian president Vladimir Putin’s inner circle.
The “Panama Papers” are being called “the Wikileaks of the mega-rich.” Corporate documents leaked from the law firm Mossack Fonseca show how world leaders have used offshore tax havens to hide their involvement in lucrative companies and business deals around the world.
Among those companies is the Russian Sberbank, whose U.S. investment banking branch recently enlisted the services of the Podesta Group. According to its lobbying registration form, the firm will work on banking, trade, and foreign relations issues.
One of the three lobbyists working on the account is Tony Podesta, a bundler for the Clinton campaign and the brother of campaign chairman John Podesta, who co-founded the firm.
Politico reported last month that Podesta and two of the firm’s other lobbyists would be working to affect “the scope of U.S. sanctions against Russia for its role in the Ukraine conflict and whether relief is possible.”
In addition to the company’s Russian parent, the lobbying registration form lists three other directly-affiliated foreign entities: Cayman Islands-based Troika Dialog Group Limited, Cyprus-based SBGB Cyprus Limited, and Luxembourg-based SB International.
According to the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, a consortium of journalists exploring the Panama Papers leak, Sberbank and Troika Dialog have ties to companies used by members of Putin’s inner circle to funnel state resources into lucrative private investments.
“Some of these companies were initially connected to the Troika Dialog investment fund, which was controlled and run by Sberbank after the bank bought the Troika Dialog investment bank. Troika and Sberbank declined to comment,” the project reported on Monday.
The Mossack Fonseca documents show that Troika Dialog secretly signed away much of its interest in a Russian truck manufacturer to “an unknown offshore” called Avto Holdings. That company was partially owned by Sergei Roldugin, a close Putin friend and the godfather of the Russian president’s daughter.
The Panama Papers also reveal the existence of “similar agreements between Troika and offshore companies affiliated with Roldugin,” according to the project.
“These agreements were different just in dates, names of the companies, stakes and sums of money,” the project reported. “But the point remained: offshore companies affiliated with Putin’s friend had privileged rights to control large stakes in strategic Russian enterprises, to receive dividends, and to buy these stakes for laughable sums.”
Despite its apparent ties to the interests of Russia’s political elite, Sberbank is officially a private company. That allows the Podesta Group to report it as a standard lobbying client, rather than a state-owned entity, which would trigger the more detailed lobbyist reporting requirements of the Foreign Agent Registration Act.
The Podesta Group did not respond to a request for comment by press time.
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Podesta Group co-founder Tony Podesta / AP
BY: Lachlan Markay
April 5, 2016 5:00 am
A firm with ties to senior members of the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign registered to lobby on behalf of a major Russian bank just weeks before a massive leak exposed the bank’s role in a web of secret financial dealings that have enriched members of Russian president Vladimir Putin’s inner circle.
The “Panama Papers” are being called “the Wikileaks of the mega-rich.” Corporate documents leaked from the law firm Mossack Fonseca show how world leaders have used offshore tax havens to hide their involvement in lucrative companies and business deals around the world.
Among those companies is the Russian Sberbank, whose U.S. investment banking branch recently enlisted the services of the Podesta Group. According to its lobbying registration form, the firm will work on banking, trade, and foreign relations issues.
One of the three lobbyists working on the account is Tony Podesta, a bundler for the Clinton campaign and the brother of campaign chairman John Podesta, who co-founded the firm.
Politico reported last month that Podesta and two of the firm’s other lobbyists would be working to affect “the scope of U.S. sanctions against Russia for its role in the Ukraine conflict and whether relief is possible.”
In addition to the company’s Russian parent, the lobbying registration form lists three other directly-affiliated foreign entities: Cayman Islands-based Troika Dialog Group Limited, Cyprus-based SBGB Cyprus Limited, and Luxembourg-based SB International.
According to the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, a consortium of journalists exploring the Panama Papers leak, Sberbank and Troika Dialog have ties to companies used by members of Putin’s inner circle to funnel state resources into lucrative private investments.
“Some of these companies were initially connected to the Troika Dialog investment fund, which was controlled and run by Sberbank after the bank bought the Troika Dialog investment bank. Troika and Sberbank declined to comment,” the project reported on Monday.
The Mossack Fonseca documents show that Troika Dialog secretly signed away much of its interest in a Russian truck manufacturer to “an unknown offshore” called Avto Holdings. That company was partially owned by Sergei Roldugin, a close Putin friend and the godfather of the Russian president’s daughter.
The Panama Papers also reveal the existence of “similar agreements between Troika and offshore companies affiliated with Roldugin,” according to the project.
“These agreements were different just in dates, names of the companies, stakes and sums of money,” the project reported. “But the point remained: offshore companies affiliated with Putin’s friend had privileged rights to control large stakes in strategic Russian enterprises, to receive dividends, and to buy these stakes for laughable sums.”
Despite its apparent ties to the interests of Russia’s political elite, Sberbank is officially a private company. That allows the Podesta Group to report it as a standard lobbying client, rather than a state-owned entity, which would trigger the more detailed lobbyist reporting requirements of the Foreign Agent Registration Act.
The Podesta Group did not respond to a request for comment by press time.
[h=2]Clinton’s Top Financial Backers Include Big Fossil Fuel Investors[/h]Donors complicate Clinton campaign pushback against environmentalist criticism
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BY: Lachlan Markay
April 4, 2016 10:30 am
Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign and the largest Super PAC supporting it have received millions of dollars from high-dollar investors in fossil fuel companies, public records show, complicating her efforts to push back against Democratic rival Bernie Sanders’ attempts to tie her to the industry.
Clinton reacted angrily when a Greenpeace volunteer at a recent campaign stop quizzed her on the fossil fuel industry’s support for her campaign.
“I am so sick of the Sanders campaign lying about me. I’m sick of it!” Clinton said.
Subsequent coverage of the minor controversy has focused on direct contributions to her campaign from employees of oil and gas companies. Clinton has received about six times as much money from those individuals as Sanders has.
However, this disparity only tells part of the story. In addition to employees of the industry, investors in it have written seven-figure checks to the Hillary Victory Fund, Clinton’s joint fundraising committee, and Priorities USA Action, a deep-pocketed Super PAC backing her candidacy.
Priorities USA has spent millions this cycle supporting Clinton’s candidacy and attacking Republican presidential contenders. The Hillary Victory Fund has disbursed nearly $5 million to the Clinton campaign.
Financier Donald Sussman has donated $2.5 million to Priorities and another $343,000 to the Hillary Victory Fund. He also sits on the board of the Center for American Progress alongside Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta.
According to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, funds managed by Sussman’s hedge fund management firm, Paloma Partners Management, has positions in at least 85 companies involved in the fossil fuel industry.
The companies include oil and gas exploration giants BP, ExxonMobil, Chevron, Occidental, and ConocoPhillips, and coal companies such as Peabody Energy and SunCoke Energy.
They also include a number of offshore drilling companies, oil refiners, oilfield service companies, electrical utilities, and pipeline manufacturers—most notably TransCanada, the company behind the Keystone XL pipeline.
Paloma also maintains a large stake—more than 188,000 shares—in American International Group (AIG). Paloma received $200 million from the AIG’s $87 billion taxpayer bailout in 2008.
Another high profile Clinton backer, billionaire financier George Soros, is also invested in some fossil fuel firms.
According to a recent SEC filing, his Soros Fund Management has positions in oil and gas exploration firm Energen, refiner Marathon Petroleum, utility Dynegy, pipeline companies Kinder Morgan and Columbia Pipeline Group, transportation fuel company Valero, and oilfield service firms Hercules Offshore and Key Energy Services.
Soros has donated $7 million to Priorities USA and $343,000 to the Hillary Victory Fund.
His and Sussman’s contributions to groups supporting Clinton came as the anti-fossil fuel left increasingly trained its sights on investors in fossil fuel companies, not just the companies themselves.
A leading proponent of fossil fuel “divestment,” the group 350.org, has pushed for Democratic presidential candidates to swear off money from the fossil fuel industry. A 350.org petition last year asked candidates to “neither solicit nor accept campaign contributions from any oil, gas, or coal company.”
Candidates themselves cannot accept donations from corporations, which must instead donate to political action committees.
While oil and gas companies themselves are donating more to Republican candidates for president, Sussman and Soros show that fossil fuel investors—the types of firms targeted by 350 and other divestment supporters—are boosting Clinton’s candidacy.
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AP
BY: Lachlan Markay
April 4, 2016 10:30 am
Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign and the largest Super PAC supporting it have received millions of dollars from high-dollar investors in fossil fuel companies, public records show, complicating her efforts to push back against Democratic rival Bernie Sanders’ attempts to tie her to the industry.
Clinton reacted angrily when a Greenpeace volunteer at a recent campaign stop quizzed her on the fossil fuel industry’s support for her campaign.
“I am so sick of the Sanders campaign lying about me. I’m sick of it!” Clinton said.
Subsequent coverage of the minor controversy has focused on direct contributions to her campaign from employees of oil and gas companies. Clinton has received about six times as much money from those individuals as Sanders has.
However, this disparity only tells part of the story. In addition to employees of the industry, investors in it have written seven-figure checks to the Hillary Victory Fund, Clinton’s joint fundraising committee, and Priorities USA Action, a deep-pocketed Super PAC backing her candidacy.
Priorities USA has spent millions this cycle supporting Clinton’s candidacy and attacking Republican presidential contenders. The Hillary Victory Fund has disbursed nearly $5 million to the Clinton campaign.
Financier Donald Sussman has donated $2.5 million to Priorities and another $343,000 to the Hillary Victory Fund. He also sits on the board of the Center for American Progress alongside Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta.
According to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, funds managed by Sussman’s hedge fund management firm, Paloma Partners Management, has positions in at least 85 companies involved in the fossil fuel industry.
The companies include oil and gas exploration giants BP, ExxonMobil, Chevron, Occidental, and ConocoPhillips, and coal companies such as Peabody Energy and SunCoke Energy.
They also include a number of offshore drilling companies, oil refiners, oilfield service companies, electrical utilities, and pipeline manufacturers—most notably TransCanada, the company behind the Keystone XL pipeline.
Paloma also maintains a large stake—more than 188,000 shares—in American International Group (AIG). Paloma received $200 million from the AIG’s $87 billion taxpayer bailout in 2008.
Another high profile Clinton backer, billionaire financier George Soros, is also invested in some fossil fuel firms.
According to a recent SEC filing, his Soros Fund Management has positions in oil and gas exploration firm Energen, refiner Marathon Petroleum, utility Dynegy, pipeline companies Kinder Morgan and Columbia Pipeline Group, transportation fuel company Valero, and oilfield service firms Hercules Offshore and Key Energy Services.
Soros has donated $7 million to Priorities USA and $343,000 to the Hillary Victory Fund.
His and Sussman’s contributions to groups supporting Clinton came as the anti-fossil fuel left increasingly trained its sights on investors in fossil fuel companies, not just the companies themselves.
A leading proponent of fossil fuel “divestment,” the group 350.org, has pushed for Democratic presidential candidates to swear off money from the fossil fuel industry. A 350.org petition last year asked candidates to “neither solicit nor accept campaign contributions from any oil, gas, or coal company.”
Candidates themselves cannot accept donations from corporations, which must instead donate to political action committees.
While oil and gas companies themselves are donating more to Republican candidates for president, Sussman and Soros show that fossil fuel investors—the types of firms targeted by 350 and other divestment supporters—are boosting Clinton’s candidacy.
