Published in the New York Post on April 5, 2008.
QUESTION: Is it appropriate for the spouse of a US senator and a presidential candidate to be in business with the leader of a foreign country?
A foreign country that has lots of matters before the US government?
Hillary and Bill Clinton’s tax returns from 2000-2006 reveal that he made at least $8 million from foreign sources and another $15 million from Yucaipa, which is owned by supermarket magnate and “Friend of Bill” Ron Burkle.
It’s been reported that Yucaipa manages the financial portfolio of Dubai’s ruler – Emir Mohammad bin Rashed al-Maktoum.
So how much of Bill’s earnings came from Burkle really come from the Emir’s petrodollars?
And what does Bill bring to Yucaipa? A rolodex of contacts made while he was president, and nothing else.
By the way, this is the same Emir who aggressively boycotts Israel and has been cited for human rights violations by the State Department.
How much did Bill get from the Emir and what did he do for it? The tax returns don’t say and the Clintons aren’t talking.
The returns released yesterday also reveal another outfit paid substantial sums to Bill – InfoUSA, a mailing-list company that was under investigation for providing lists of vulnerable senior citizens to telemarketers.
InfoUSA sold these con men lists like “Elderly with Alzheimer’s” and “Gullible seniors” so they could be fleeced out of their life savings.
A lawsuit filed by InfoUSA shareholders, founder and “Friend of Bill” Vin Gupta used corporate jets to whisk the Clintons around the globe for events, including political events, since 2001 – spending nearly $900,000 to do it.
The suit suggests Gupta used company funds to party with high-profile pals such as the Clintons.
Again, it’s not clear what Bill did for this company.
Hillary has called for more transparency in foreign government-funded sovereign wealth funds and for full disclosure of their activities.
Let that start at home.