I had $50 million in cash. The most I ever had at one point was $24 million on hand, in $100 bills, sitting in safes in my bedroom. And there was hardly any oversight whatsoever. Once we signed that money out of the vault in Baghdad, it was up to me how to document that money was spent and where the money went…I had no requirement. Literally. I am not joking. No guidance and no requirement to provide documentation about where that money went.”
Every year foreign governments pour tens of millions of dollars into those very institutions and, though many think tanks are tax-exempt non-profits, such donations often turn out to be anything but charitable gifts. Foreign contributions generally come with critically important strings attached — usually a favorable stance toward that country in whatever influential work the think tanks are doing. In other words, those experts you regularly read or see on screen, whose scholarship and advice Washington’s politicians and other officials often use, are in some cases being paid, directly or indirectly, by the very countries on which they are offering advice and analysis.
The Clinton Foundation acted as an agent of foreign governments “early in its life and throughout its existence,” according to testimony by former government forensic investigator John Moynihan, which, if true, would not only render it in violation of the Foreign Agents Registration Act but also would violate its nonprofit charter, putting it on the hook for a massive quantity of unpaid taxes.
…influential Democrat with longstanding ties to Bill and Hillary Clinton, gave nearly $500,000 to the election campaign of the wife of an official at the Federal Bureau of Investigation who later helped oversee the investigation into Mrs. Clinton’s email use.“
Surveys repeatedly show that 80 percent to 95 percent of people want foods that contain genetically modified organisms to be labeled (in the least). Here is a simple breakdown of some reported polls on consumer demand for GMO labeling:
Utilities are losing money to homeowners who generate their own energy, so they’re taking their money to the legislatures to buy politicians and turn things around. Save Rooftop Solar.
The first case in January was kept quiet until now.
The reason for CIA’s intense efforts to learn what FSB knows is likely because of other recruitment efforts by CIA in the Caucasus, Dagestan, Georgia, involving Islamic extremists … like Al Qaeda, to start shit in those provinces against the Russian state. Yes, a very tangled web they weave.
Front row, from left: Major Gen. Hamid Gul, director general of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate (ISI), Director of Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Willian Webster; Deputy Director for Operations Clair George; an ISI colonel; and senior CIA official, Milt Bearden at a mujaheddin training camp in North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan in 1987. (source RAWA)
I hesitated to post this because the actual text was not easily found on either of their two websites. I emailed the campaign to inquire. Josh Silver from “United Republic” sent me a link to the document (full text of act).
I noticed that it restricts various categories of corrupt behavior. Good.
I also noticed that it actually raises the minimum amount of money required before lobbyists must register. This I found very confusing. Here is my email exchange with the campaign:
ME:
What’s the meaning of this? It looks like it’s making it less strict not more:
2. Registration Thresholds/Who Must Register and File Reports
• Lobbying firm
Current law: $3,000 in lobbying income in calendar quarter.
AACA: $10,000 in lobbying income in calendar quarter.
• Client of Lobbying Firm
Current law: $3,000 in lobbying expenses in calendar quarter.
AACA: $10,000 in lobbying expenses in calendar quarter.
• Self-Lobbying Organization
Current law: $10,000 in lobbying expenses in calendar quarter.
AACA: $30,000 in lobbying expenses in calendar quarter.
etc.
Why would a law about ending corruption be less strict about registering lobbyists?
ALLISON of UNITED REPUBLIC:
Dear Joe,
Thanks very much for writing in with your concern. I apologize for the delay, but you have a great question and I wanted to check in with the team who wrote the Act to make sure I gave you a thoughtful response back.
This is what they told me:
You are correct that we are increasing the monetary thresholds for lobbyist registration. We did this because we are significantly expanding the requirements of the Lobbying Disclosure Act (the Act that regulates lobbying on the federal level) in other areas, and we want to make sure that the AACA does not cause small charities and nonprofits to abandon their lobbying efforts. More specifically, under the AACA, more activities will count as lobbying, and it will be much harder for individuals to avoid registering as lobbyists because even supervising others’ lobbying efforts will require registration. The AACA will also significantly increase the disclosure requirements for people who have to register. For example, under the AACA they will have to disclose the specific Members of Congress lobbied. We met with the leaders of many nonprofits while we were crafting the AACA. They expressed concern that these expanded registration and disclosure requirements might cause some smaller nonprofits to completely abandon their lobbying efforts, because it would cost too much to comply with the expanded registration and disclosure requirements. We did not want that to happen. So, under the AACA, these groups will not have to register unless they spend $10,000 or more in a calendar quarter to hire a lobbying firm, or spend $30,000 in a quarter to pay their own employees to lobby on their behalf.
Please let me know if this has answered your question or if I can help you with anything else.
Sincerely,
Allison and the campaign team
BOTTOM LINE
It’s the only game in town right now to directly address the corruption of the US government. So I signed the petition and posted the video.
