The Clinton Family Perfected Influence Peddling Long Before the Biden Family
The collapse of Haiti reminds us how the sale of influence has real world consequences.
The recent collapse of Haiti brought back to the forefront allegations against the Clintons for the misallocation of funds intended for the nation's reconstruction. This reminded me of Tony Rodham, Hillary Clinton's brother, receiving a lucrative gold mining concession in the aftermath, prompting further investigation on my part. My findings suggest that Hillary Clinton's family excelled in leveraging her political influence for personal gain, arguably surpassing any efforts by the Biden family in similar endeavors. It appears the Bidens might have taken cues from the Clintons' playbook, assuming such practices were acceptable. Below are several instances that have come to light, though curiously, they seemed to have escaped widespread attention at the time.
FUNDRAISING FOR THE DNC
Tony Rodham found himself at the center of his first major controversy when, after Bill Clinton's 1992 campaign promise to resist the influence of big business, he was placed in a key position at the DNC. Contrary to Clinton's platform, Rodham played a pivotal role in gathering millions for the inauguration from the very corporations Clinton had previously denounced for attempting to buy political sway during the election cycle.
INFLUENCE PEDDLING
RUSSIA: Tony Rodham waspaid by Moscow's Mayor Yuri Luzhkov for an introduction to Clinton (the same Luzhkov that Hunter Biden received $3.5M from). The meeting was controversial because Luzhkov had recently had a dispute with an American businessman who was murdered in Moscow shortly afterward. Nevertheless Tony made it happen.
BIG TOBACCO: Tony's brother Hugh, despite having no lobbying experience, was hired to help push through the approval of a $368.5 billion dollar tobacco settlement. Ironically, this was the very same tobacco deal that James Biden was hired to help push through. GEORGIA: Tony Rodham and his brother obtained a
concession from the former Soviet republic of Georgia. In exchange they helped the Russian-backed opposition leader, Aslan Abashidze, claim that he had the backing and seal of approval from the President Clinton and the U.S. government in upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections. To seal the deal Tony flew to Rome to become godfather to Abashidze's new grandson.
PARAGUAY: Tony Rodham was also paid by Paraguayan President Juan Carlos Wasmosy to arrange a meeting with Bill Clinton. Wasmosy sought millions from the US to fund a social welfare institute. He eventually was convicted of stealing $6M from the institute after shifting it to a bank he controlled.
GEORGIA: Tony Rodham became entangled in the ambitions of Vasili Patarkalishvili, a former Soviet entrepreneur, to establish a bank in Georgia under the pretense of having President Clinton's support. Rodham assured that he could facilitate a dialogue between Clinton and Russian President Boris Yeltsin to secure Russia's endorsement of the bank. However, the venture was later exposed as a Ponzi scheme. The involvement of Tony Rodham and his purported assurances involving President Clinton were meticulously laid out in legal documents, shedding light on a complex web of international financial deceit that purported to leverage political influence at the highest levels.
PARDON: Tony Rodham found himself enlisted to assist Edgar Allen Gregory Jr. and his spouse, both embroiled in banking fraud, in their quest for a presidential pardon. Engaging in discussions with Bill Clinton about the matter, Tony played a pivotal role in advocating for the Gregorys. Despite the Department of Justice's staunch opposition, President Clinton ultimately decided to grant the pardon.
GREENTECH AUTOMOTIVE: Bill Clinton placed Tony Rodham at the helm of a venture overseen by Terry McAuliffe, targeting Chinese capital infusion. By 2017, this initiative unraveled as McAuliffe and Rodham faced legal action from 32 Chinese investors, who alleged a loss exceeding $17 million due to what they characterized as a Ponzi scheme. Despite the judge, aligned with the Democratic party, acknowledging Rodham's deceptive and erroneous assurances to these investors, the lawsuit was ultimately dismissed.
VISAS: Tony Rodham, serving as CEO of Gulf Coast Funds, found himself at the heart of a contentious endeavor to secure EB-5 visas for Huawei Technologies—a company widely regarded as having intimate ties with Chinese intelligence. Despite a series of rejections faced by Gulf Coast's applications and subsequent appeals, Alejandro Mayorkas, then the director of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, stepped in, overturning the previous decisions to grant the visas for Rodham and his high-profile client. This intervention led to an investigation by the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General into Mayorkas's actions. Yet, despite the investigation's implications, the Department of Justice opted not to pursue prosecution against either Rodham or Mayorkas.
HAITI: Bill Clinton, in his capacity as co-chair of the Haiti Recovery Commission, was embroiled in controversy when his brother-in-law, Tony Rodham, pitched a $22 million project aimed at reconstructing homes in Haiti—a nation ravaged by natural disasters. However, despite the grand promises and the substantial financial commitment, not a single home was rebuilt under this initiative. The plot thickened as Rodham later facilitated a lucrative gold mine concession for Delaware-based VCS Mining in Haiti. Following the successful negotiation of this deal, he conveniently exited the company's advisory board.