HRC: State Secrets and the Rebirth of Hillary Clinton by Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes - Download
http://www.amazon.com/s/?_encoding=UTF8 bbn=283155 camp=1789 creative=390957 linkCode=ur2 qid=1394468532 rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_n_publication_date%3A1250226011 rn...
By: Jim Oilld
See the article here:
Despite Hillary Rodham Clintons promise that she had scrubbed illegal cash contributions from her 2008 presidential campaign, prosecutors revealed Monday that the mastermind of Mayor Vincent C. Grays shadow campaign also funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars to aid Mrs. Clintons bid for the White House.
Jeffrey E. Thompsons scheme included diverting more than $608,000 in illicit funds to a New York marketing executive, Troy White, who organized street teams to raise Mrs. Clintons visibility in urban areas during her Democratic primary battle against Barack Obama. Mr. White pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor in the case.
SEE ALSO: Prosecutors: Gray had firsthand knowledge of shadow campaign
Prosecutors said that from February to May 2008, Thompson used two firms to disburse $608,750 in excessive and unreported contributions to pay for campaign services in coordination with and in support of a federal political candidate for president of the United States and the federal and the candidates authorized committee. That candidate was Mrs. Clinton.
Mr. Obama, too, received thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from Thompson and his employees, although those donations apparently were legal.
U.S. Attorney Ron Machen said there was no indication that Mrs. Clinton was aware of the specific activities to aid her campaign.
Enlarge Photo
There are varying degrees of knowledge among the different candidates, Mr. Machen said.
An attorney for Mrs. Clintons campaign in 2008, Lyn Utrecht, has said the campaign cooperated fully with prosecutors and never hired Mr. White to work on the presidential race. She said the campaign committee turned down Mr. Whites services.
But news reports last fall indicated that a top Clinton adviser, Minyon Moore, facilitated a meeting between Mr. White and Thompson. Ms. Utrecht did not return a request for comment Monday, nor did Mrs. Clintons top spokesman, Philippe Reines.
See the original post here:
Hillary Clinton campaign received funds from Jeffrey Thompson
Wealthy Democratic environmentalists are considering withholding support for a 2016 Hillary Clinton presidential bid unless she reassures them about their top priority: Killing the Keystone XL pipeline.
Shes kind of a closed book on the environment, said Guy Saperstein, an Oakland-based venture capitalist and former president of the San Francisco-based Sierra Club Foundation. I, for one, would not support her until she gives us more information.
So far, Clinton has demurred on Keystone -- she declined to answer directly a question about it during a March 5 event in Vancouver -- even though it was under review by the State Department for much of her tenure as secretary.
She could be a leader on Keystone if she wanted to be, Saperstein said. This is a great opportunity for her to show a little courage.
Its also an issue that comes with risks. If Clinton were to oppose the proposed pipeline that would carry oil sands crude from Canada to U.S. refineries on the Gulf Coast, it may help in a primary presidential bid while complicating her candidacy in a general election.
The public backed the pipeline construction by 65 percent to 22 percent in a Washington Post/ABC News poll conducted from Feb. 27 through March 2. It is more controversial among Democrats, according to the survey, which showed they approve of it by a 51 percent to 32 percent margin. Among self-identified liberal Democrats, who often make up an out-sized share of the primary electorate, only 36 percent favored the project compared with 47 percent who didnt.
Democratic activists also must calibrate their actions as Clinton is favored in polls to be the party nominee, regardless of her position on Keystone and other climate matters.
Betsy Taylor, a political strategist who is working with environmental activists and donors, has heard other contributors talk of backing away from Clinton without more assurances on their top issue. To ward off that action, shes using data to nudge the would-be candidate to clarify her stance.
Many of Mrs. Clintons most prominent supporters hope she will acknowledge the rapidly changing data on climate disruption, Taylor said. New data is in, and Hillary is a woman who respects the facts. We hope shell encourage the president to step up and deny this permit.
The nations elite environmentalists have another form of leverage: money.
View original post here:
The website of the pro-Hillary Clinton super PAC "Ready for Hillary," seen here in July 2013, is getting a makeover to help boost grassroots support for a potential Clinton presidential bid. KAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty Images
With the 2016 election still two and a half years away, a super PAC preparing for a potential presidential bid by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is stepping up their efforts with a revamped website and a Washington, D.C. fundraiser to help pay for their efforts.
According to Time's Mark Halperin, the new website for the Ready for Hillary PAC, out this weekend, will feature a "buzzy video" that highlights Clinton's path from childhood to secretary of state set to an uplifting song about self-empowerment by pop star Katy Perry. There will also be a better way for supporters to use Facebook to find and reach out to people in the name of building support and hosting events for the candidate.
The efforts are modeled after President Obama's 2008 and 2012 campaign apparatus, which was groundbreaking in its use of technology to build a grassroots community of supporters. Several advisors to Ready for Hillary worked for the Obama campaign.
Halperin also reports that the group is planning a fundraiser at a Washington, D.C. restaurant near Capitol Hill, where they will solicit contributions ranging from $1,000 to $2,500 from 50 to 100 people, including many prominent Democrats who have a longstanding relationship with the Clinton family.
Clinton said in December she would make a decision on whether to run sometime this year. She has spent much of her time since leaving the administration giving speeches and has only been minimally involved in politics, campaigning for Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe last fall.
Democrats are very supportive of a Clinton bid. According to a recent CBS News/New York Times poll, 82 percent would like to see her take another shot at the White House. But 53 percent also said they would like to see at least one other Democrat run, suggesting the party still wants to see a primary.
2014 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Read more:
Michael Gross/State Department
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will continue her focus on women's rights when she appears at the fifth annual Women in the World Summit next month.
Clinton will share the stage with Christine Lagarde, head of the International Monetary Fund, at the event hosted by Tina Brown, the former editor of Newsweek.
"We are thrilled to bring this historic and stimulating dialogue to Women in the World this year," Brown said in a statement. "Secretary Clinton and Madame Lagarde are the leading examples of women breaking gender barriers with every move they make."
The event will be a star-studded affair with prominent women from all walks of life coming together to discuss and promote "inspiring women and men."
Actresses Meryl Streep, Mia Farrow, and Rashida Jones will participate in the three-day event. Former First Lady Barbara Bush and former President Jimmy Carter will also speak, as will designer Diane von Furstenberg and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-New York.
Clinton's panel with Lagarde will be moderated by New York Times Columnist Thomas L. Friedman and will take place in Lincoln Center's David H. Koch theater.
Since early in her career, women's rights have been a priority for Clinton. In 1995, she attended the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing and declared "human rights are women's rights."
Last week, Clinton tied "broader human development" with women's reproductive rights at a United Nations event.
The rest is here: