Over half of Hillary Clinton’s State Department meetings with non-government people were with Clinton Foundation donors

 According to this Associated Press story over half of the meetings Hillary Clinton had with non-government people were held with donors to The Clinton Foundation and the donations totaled about $156 million . Here is more:

More than half the people outside the government who met with Hillary Clinton while she was secretary of state gave money — either personally or through companies or groups — to the Clinton Foundation. It’s an extraordinary proportion indicating her possible ethics challenges if elected president.

At least 85 of 154 people from private interests who met or had phone conversations scheduled with Clinton while she led the State Department donated to her family charity or pledged commitments to its international programs, according to a review of State Department calendars released so far to The Associated Press. Combined, the 85 donors contributed as much as $156 million. At least 40 donated more than $100,000 each, and 20 gave more than $1 million.

  Of course there is a reason why these people wanted an audience with the Secretary of State, they were not personal meetings, (like Bill Clinton’s Phoenix airport tarmac meeting with Loretta Lynch) these people all wanted favors and were most likely calling in a debt. Just to name a few:

Donors who were granted time with Clinton included an internationally known economist who asked for her help as the Bangladesh government pressured him to resign from a nonprofit bank he ran; a Wall Street executive who sought Clinton’s help with a visa problem and Estee Lauder executives who were listed as meeting with Clinton while her department worked with the firm’s corporate charity to counter gender-based violence in South Africa.

  The Associated Press article goes on to say it does not appear this violated the legal agreements the Clinton’s signed when she took office, however:

the frequency of the overlaps shows the intermingling of access and donations, and fuels perceptions that giving the foundation money was a price of admission for face time with Clinton.

  This report comes on the heals of yesterday’s more damaging story about the Crowned Prince of Bahrain: He sought a meeting with Hillary Clinton through normal channels (he contacted the State Department about meeting with the State Department) but he was turned down. However his government donated millions of dollars to the Clinton Foundation and that was how he ultimately met with Hillary Clinton. It was not just non-government people who gained access to the then Secretary of State through donations to The Clinton Foundation

  Move along, nothing to see here…

malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium