‘Clinton Cash’ author sees ‘pattern of benefit’

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The writer of a controversial new book exploring the financial connections between the Clinton Foundation, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former President Bill Clinton on Sunday defended his work as a well-researched expose uncovering long-term abuse.

{mosads}Author Peter Schweizer’s book, “Clinton Cash,” alleges that foreign entities donated to the Clinton Foundation in exchange for political favors from former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

The release has turned into a major campaign issue as Clinton begins her 2016 bid for the Democratic nomination.

“You see this pattern of benefit,” Schweizer told host Chris Wallace on “Fox News Sunday.”

“You see a chain of events repeated over and over again, from Colombia to Kazakhstan to Africa,” he continued.

“I don’t think coincidences occur that often,” the author added.

Schweizer said his analysis took a decade of reporting. The end result, he said, was a “blur” where the Clinton Foundation’s ethical actions began and where they ended.

“When you have a mix of public and private interests backed by the government dealings of your wife, it creates a dangerous cocktail,” Schweizer charged of former President Clinton’s work after leaving the White House.

“Why did his speaking fees go up?” he asked, pondering drastic changes between former President Clinton’s various speeches.

“My answer is that this is extremely troubling,” Schweizer concluded. “The facts are the facts. To me, this is a trend.”

Schweizer also raised the possibility of criminal activity. He said he hoped his book inspired greater transparency on the Clintons’ motivations.

“Certainly, I think it warrants investigation,” Schweizer admitted in a separate appearance on ABC’s “This Week” with George Stephanopoulos.

“What that investigation will reveal, we’ll see,” he added of whether or not the Clintons had engaged in illicit actions. 

“You can’t leave it up to an author to say than an author has to prove a criminal case,” Schweizer told Stephanopoulos on ABC. 

“You need subpoena powers, you need access to records and information, you need access to emails,” Schweizer added.

Schweizer said the intent of “Clinton Cash” was to spark greater accountability of the Clintons as the 2016 election cycle begins. He said his work was only the beginning now that the media had access to his findings.

The Clintons’ non-profit organization on Thursday announced it would redo a number of tax returns and audit others in an effort at transparency.

The Clinton presidential campaign has denied that she committed any wrongdoing. Campaign spokesman Brian Fallon on Thursday claimed that accusations to the contrary were thus political smears.

“[No one] has ever produced a shred of evidence supporting the theory that Hillary Clinton ever took action as secretary of State to support the interests of the donors of the Clinton Foundation,” he said.

–This report was updated at 10:14 a.m.