Trump must expose Hillary’s dark side

Hillary Clinton, Democratic presidential nominee and former Secretary of State, arguably embodies some of the worst traits of U.S. politics. She personifies deceitful politics, special interest money, and conflicts of interest. Clinton and husband Bill test legal and ethical boundaries.

She has the highest negative poll numbers of any recent national politician except for Republican nominee Donald Trump. It now seems likely Clinton will defeat Trump, barring further revelations about her emails or the Clinton Foundation. A majority of American voters may decide Clinton is the lesser of two evils, but they should acquaint themselves with her dark side before voting for her.

{mosads}Thomas Jefferson stated “whenever a man has cast a longing eye on offices, rottenness begins in his conduct.” Nathaniel Hawthorne declared corrupt politicians’ “hearts wither away … Their consciences [turn] into India-rubber or to some substance as black as that.”  They could have been speaking of Clinton.

Americans have discovered that virtually everything Clinton said about her private server and emails was untrue. Some 15,000 new emails have suddenly appeared, beyond the 33,000 “personal” emails her aides and lawyers claim to have destroyed. FBI Director Comey said she should not be indicted.

However, the FBI is requiring the House of Representatives to store Clinton’s redacted emails and investigative documents in a secure location. Congressmen must have Top Secret clearances to read them. This situation has an Orwellian, Alice-in-Wonderland quality.

Many Democrats accuse Trump of making proposals that would violate the Constitution. However, Clinton backed President Obama’s use of Executive Orders and regulatory agencies to bypass Congress. She is still supportive, despite the courts overturning an immigration Executive Order, an EPA Clean Air Rule and — at least, temporarily — a transgender bathroom executive order.  

Nothing has tarnished Clinton’s trustworthiness ratings as much as her use of Super PACS and the speaking fee and Clinton Foundation scandals. The Wall Street Journal reported hedge funds have given the Clinton campaign $48 million. The Foundation has raised $2 billion dollars from US and foreign corporations and governments, to include $100 million from the Persian Gulf. The Clintons have “earned” $153 million in speaking fees.  

Quid pro quo relationships are difficult to prove; however, conflicts of interest are clear. Bill Clinton received $106 million in honoraria from 2001 to 2012, including Hillary’s time at the State Department. Bill’s honoraria totaled over $26 million while she was Secretary of State. Foundation donations spiked.

Democrats accuse Trump of a cozy relationship with the Russians and Bank of China. They neglect to remind voters Secretary of State Clinton approved the sale of a company controlling one-fifth of US uranium to Russia in a deal brokered by a firm linked to Russian intelligence. The company’s board members donated $30-40 million to the Foundation. The Russian investment firm gave Bill Clinton a $500,000 honorarium.  

The Clintons have a long, lucrative relationship with China. Chinese businessmen indirectly channeled money to the Democratic National Committee and Clintons in the 1990s, triggering a scandal. In 2013, Democratic Virginia Governor McAuliffe arranged for a $2 million Chinese corporate donation to the Foundation.

Numerous conflicts of interest exist. In 2009, Clinton intervened in an IRS lawsuit seeking identities of 52,000 Americans with secret Swiss UBS Bank accounts, but settled for under 4,500. UBS Foundation donations surged to $600,000 by 2014. Bill Clinton received UBS speaking fees of $1.5 million.

Hillary approved over $300 billion in Pentagon-backed and private-sector arms sales to countries that donated to the Foundation. The Foundation received nearly $1 million dollars from Boeing after she approved a $4 billion deal with Moscow.

The Foundation had cozy ties to moguls with murky backgrounds. Gilbert Chagoury, a Lebanese-Nigerian billionaire, is a Foundation contributor. Chagoury made news when it was revealed he used Foundation links to seek government meetings. He became rich as an ally of late Nigerian dictator Sani Abacha.

After Abacha’s 1998 death, Chagoury reached a $300 million settlement with Swiss and Nigerian authorities to avoid prosecution for corruption. In 2010, Chagoury was investigated for bribery, again evading prosecution. He reportedly remains close to the Clintons.

Clinton styles herself a progressive and rails against special interests. Democrats claim to be following in the footsteps of William Jennings Bryan, Teddy Roosevelt and FDR in defying the malefactors of Wall Street. However, Clinton clearly has forged alliances with special interests and moguls at home and abroad. Trump will have to refocus attention on Clinton’s flaws to win the presidency.

Davis is a retired intelligence analyst, who worked with the Army Special Operations Command, Defense Intelligence Agency, and CIA.

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