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Caught On Tape: Stunned Reporter Grills State Department Why Hillary's Breaches Won't Be Investigated
In the past several weeks, not a day has passed without a new scandal surfacing revealing Clinton's lack of judgment whether it involves her abuse of email protocol, or some previously undisclosed financial relation between either Hillary Clinton or the Clinton foundation and an outside donor. The most egregious revelation took place a few days ago when it emerged that the Democratic presidential candidate had breached her agreement with the White House to name all foundation donors during her tenure as secretary of state.
Specifically, as Reuters reported, Clinton had promised the federal government that the Clinton Foundation and its associated charities would name all donors annually while she was the nation's top diplomat. "She also promised that the charities would let the State Department's ethics office review beforehand any proposed new foreign governments donations."
In March, the charities confirmed to Reuters for the first time that they had not complied with those pledges for most of Clinton's four years at the State Department.
The implication is that foreigners banned from donating to U.S. political campaigns could and likely did curry favor with her by giving to the charity that bears her name. The charities accepted new donations from at least six foreign governments while Clinton was secretary of state: Switzerland, Papua New Guinea, Swaziland, Rwanda, Sweden and Algeria. And, of course, Ukraine.
The charities never told the State Department about the new and increased donations. In two instances, the charities said this was the result of "oversights"; for the other six, they said those donations were exceptions to the agreement for various reasons.
The charities also stopped publishing full donor lists from 2010 onwards; the annually updated list omitted donors to the foundation's flagship health initiative.
But the most shocking development took place yesterday when the US State Department, via spokesman Jeff Rathke, told reporters that while it "regrets" that it did not get to review the new foreign government funding, it does not plan to look into the matter further, spokesman Jeff Rathke said on Thursday.
"The State Department has not and does not intend to initiate a formal review or to make a retroactive judgment about items that were not submitted during Secretary Clinton's tenure," Rathke told reporters.
And while the objective, unbiased media would have been up in arms had this gross abuse of government privileges and clear pandering to foreign interests occurred under a Republican candidate, there has been barely a peep from said media as far as Hillary's involvement is concerned.
One person, however, did speak up: that was AP's Matt Lee who asked why the State Department wouldn't investigate further to determine if the tens of millions of dollars in donations had influenced her, and thus the US State Department's, decisions in the 2011-2013 period.
Rathke's response: there is no evidence that these donations to the Clinton charities had any effect on Clinton's decisions. “We’re not going to make a retroactive review on these cases and we will not make a retroactive judgment,” he said.
Of course, the circular logic involved is so twisted even hardened, conflicted government apparatchiks would not fail to recognize that there is no way to make a determination if said previously undisclosed donations had influenced her decisions without a further inquiry, an inquiry the State Department refuses to make because it assumes that it would find nothing.
Lee quickly noted this told Rathke that “the reason you are not aware of anything is because the building is refusing to go back and look at it to see if there is anything that might raise a flag."
What followed was 6 minutes of squirming that would make even the most hard-core Clinton supporter blush red with embarrassment at the farce and the corruption evident at every single level of government, especially when certain pre-approved (by Wall Street) candidates are involved.
The full exchange below.
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"...especially when certain pre-approved (by Wall Street) candidates are involved."
The sooner that people realize Wall Street / corporations / big $$$ donors own both parties, things will begin to make more sense to them. For example, no candidate who takes a tough stance on immigration can realistically expect to be nominated by either party. Corporations are pushing for increased immigration and relaxation of immigration and customs enforcement. Hillary has already stated she, if elected as POTUS, would work to expand the number of people who will not be deported. The likelihood that Hillary or Jeb will be the next POTUS as Wall Street continues to brazenly steal from the citizenry is beyond galling. That may be a catalyst for many to move abroad and renounce their citizenship.
We moved abroad already, a couple years ago. We realized that the US system is rife with corruption, and is FUBAR.
Live within the system (and continue to be monitored, fleeced and F'd), change the system (sorry, you probably don't have the power or connections to make any difference), or exit the system.
Don't be afraid to relocate... It's pretty nice over here!
And where is 'over here'? A country without government corruption? Sorry, I simply do not believe it.
One of my Hungarian friends gave me a lesson in patriotism once. (Hungarians are a minority in my country). I was bitching about the coruption of our government and I was counting the names of my friends who've left the country so far. I said that I was planning to move abroad myself. He said " If X, Y and Z already left the country and you're about to leave too, then who will replace you ? That means you're handing the country over to THEM."
All the rest in the press are asleep. Kind of like the old Soviet Pravda reporters.
They aren't asleep. They're whores
In a whore house, there are whores and johns, not much else.
It is the nature of the beast.
Open explicit admission of unlimited willful corruption.
And, of course, a precident to be invoked by others.
"We mustn't look at what has happened in the past - we must address the problems of the present." Paraphrasing a recently elected US President when asked about Wall Street crimes.
Like ending the Bush tax cuts?
That would be a good start, but I had in mind banker criminality.
This is 'Atlas Shrugged' crony bullshit...
Another Arkancide in 3...2...1....
I did not have sexual relations with those 6 donors.
Watching the Clintons having to repay 2.5 billion will be priceless.
Based on your comment, let me be the first to welcome you to the United States. You haven't learned this yet, but in this country our aristocrats, of which the Clintons belong, do not get punished for any reason. If you don't believe me, I have two witnesses who will back me up: go find a man named Vince Foster or a man named Ron Brown. They will be happy to explain everything to you.
When the military provides services to NGOs Hillary can do what she chooses because the US ain't got no Federal government. It floats dead before the vultures lifted by balloons of fiat.
Hillary, in the honored tradition of all the greatest destroyers of countries, sackers of People, and pillagers of common ground, seeks the third term of the best Repulican president the Democrats ever elected: the American public hath become the Stockholm Syndrome captive: Fuck US! Fuck US hard! OH Hillary baby, Fuck US like your husband did! Stick that TPP so deep in Our ass it tickles our NAFTA!
With the exception of the top 1% the rest of the American people are being fucked regardless of whether they understand what is going on or whether they are totally oblivious to what is going on.
The video is a stark reminder that as far as the eilte are concerned the concerns of the people about the truth, transparency, justice etc just don't matter to those in control.
I am going to make periodic checks on the well being of this reporter from now on.
I like this reporter, he always asks the questions that need to be asked, and he does it so calmly.
this reporter...asks the questions that need to be asked...
I don't agree. What's needed is a clone of Hillary in her youth grilling an incredulous executive branch lackey and not being satisfied with anything but culpability. She and her appointer are guilty of far greater offenses than anything the Watergate bunglers could dream of and yet the Judiciary and Legislative branches may as well be cut off and thrown in the fire for all the help they are at doing their jobs.
The fourth estate is proving to be toothless as well. All I heard in this discourse was a pitiful attempt at someone trying to create a case for himself in the highly unlikely chance the US actually reverts back to it's origianl calling sometime in the future. I have no problem with calmness, but there's something to be said for the tenacity and virtuous tone of proper Righteous Indignation. Emotion is not a weakness when it's expressed in an appropriate time and place.
This was it and he failed miserably, imho.
Hillary Clinton is corrupt. I'm shocked.
Well, yes. And not even Bill will investigate her britches.
The Presidents' Company - Worlds Largest War Industry - See more at: https://free21.org/en/content/pdf-presidents-company-worlds-largest-war-...
http://www.shtfplan.com/headline-news/government-wants-to-control-your-c...
fuck fuck FUCK! Hillary Clinton! I say this as a lol 'liberal'
Hope this guy don't like to rest on park benches
That Clinton is even considered a candidate proves how far we as a nation have fallen. ALL of the criminality of this witch is being stuffed down the rabbit hole and ignored by the obedient media.
This is what she was promised in 2008 when she shut her mouth about the Ineligibility of the Usurper Hussein Obama, whose state department is now helping stuff her criminality and nurderous ways down the rabbit hole. Notice that any talk of Banghazi, the email scandal, or the corruption of the Clinton Foundation (which is basically a quid pro quo slush fund) is being totally ignored. These are scandals many more times criminal than the coverup of the Watergate breakin.
She is a good barometer though. Anyone who expresses any desire for her to run or serve as POTUS is quickly written off my list of countrymen. They expose themselves as the clueless statists and morons they are, and who love the chains of tyranny. that is all I can think about them anymore. They disgust me.
Oh, and for those loyal R team members, how is that majority in both houses working out for you? The State Department is not the only way that all of this can be exposed. Where is the big investigation by Congress? ALL of the criminals in Congress (and the judiciary) are protecting the treason they committed in allowing a wholly unknown foreign Usurper into the WH. Their silence is proof. Clinton's candidacy is paid for. This Congressional R Team majority has done what so far?
They've done nothing, and the funny part is they have budget reconciliation on their side, which if they were actually working for the people, would keep Obama so busy vetoing shit he'd never make his tee-off time again...
Each and every one of you useless, overweight, no balls U.S. citizens, are pure entertainment for us up here in Canada! Keep it up, LOL!!
Thanks. I always appreciated your candidness and Canadian newspapers. The only way you can find out what's going on in the US.
And the Canadian government just passed bill C-51, just who the no-balls citizens are, is quite plain to see, so yuck it up moron
Canada.
America's Asshat.
The State Department has now officially institutionalized "What difference does it make?" No looking back at anything, self-survival being the only motivator. A little bit of psychopath going on there, I think.
One of first things Obama did was to pardon bush Cheney for any possible future charges
Has the article been revised to "former AP reporter Matt Lee" yet..?
repost but applies..
"Justice is not a word in the english language.
Better call Saul...any real lawyers or law school profs reading ZH?? hang your heads..no justice no crime for the elites that is too big..judges are common criminals..
IRS fuck your dead corrupt souls."
DA's, DOJ (lol at that one),courts across the land are no longer effective for elites..good to be king.
More likely "recently deceased AP reporter Matt Lee."
It is going to be fun watching the people take these criminals' heads off in the coming revolution.
Hillary has racked up more corruption and betrayals of the people than Obama did in his first four years, and she hasnt even started running yet.
The whole country is fed up with these criminal tyrants...Their time is short.
There will be no revolution as long as Apple is here.
When the rule of law is broken, chaos will follow.
Just as sure as day turns into night.
You get the government you deserve.
The rule of law: completely gone. Hillary is already president, because the oligarchs know they can get away with anything they want. They'll tamper with poll results, whatever it takes. It's over, folks. We now see it every day. Most of America either with their heads up their ass or just in denial, because they wouldn't want to be "disappointed". But as Alissa Zinovievna Rosenbaum said: “You can ignore reality, but you can’t ignore the consequences of ignoring reality.”
We Vince Foster'd some folks
ca·ri·tas ?kari?tas,?käri?täs/ noun noun: caritas Christian love of humankind; charity. When charities have price tags and quid pro quos sewn into their fabric, well then they are not charities. They are masquerading as such for the persons who CONTROL those charities and their purses.
When I next sit on a jury, I will find the defendent NOT GUILTY as our benevolent Chosenite masters have shit all over our legal system....
WHY should laws aopply to anyone if they don't apply to the democrap party?
When I next sit on a jury, I will find the defendent NOT GUILTY . . .
One thing that would be REALLY effective in throwing a monkey wrench in the two tiered legal system in the USA is if there was a concerted effort made nation-wide for jury nullification, particularly in federal cases. The word needs to get out to people that this is a way that common folks can have their say in unjust prosecutions by voting "not guilty" when they disagree with the law being used against someone or disagree with the manner that the trial was conducted (e.g. "secret evidence", paid "informants", etc.) . The jurors do not have to divulge why they voted the way the do or if they are coerced into giving a reason they can always make something up that fits . . . .
The (unbiased) MSM acted as though Tom Brady and the pressure of some footballs was a bigger scandal than Hillary (and Bill) taking millions for high level favors while in office.
The government is run by criminals and the MSM is driving the getaway car. Know where they live now so you can thank them directly when the SHTF and purging riots are commonplace.
naive, the state dept. investigating hillary
would be like the fed investigating
yellin. yea, so what. independent
investigator, that is the ticket, really double
screw the tax payers with that one.
Agreed, they all want to keep their jobs if she gets into office. If she wasn’t running for President, they probably would investigate. Crony politics is most often just about politics.
Wait...
Where have I heard this sort of double-speak before...?
Joe Public: What can you tell us about WTC7?
9/11 Commissioner: We have nothing out of the ordinary to report about WTC7.
Joe Public: Did you investigate the collapse of WTC7?
9/11 Commisioner: We didn't look into WTC7 and therefore there is nothing out of the ordinary to report.
Regular career FSOs are NOT happy about this.
What did she sell and for how much?
HTTP://www.maxkeiser.com/2015/05/kr754-keiser-report-collusions-at-the-top/
[KR754] Keiser Report: Collusions at the Top
Posted on May 8, 2015 by Stacy Herbert
“Only the little people get investigated and judged”
Hillary Helmsley Ram-Rodham Clinton
You might as well ask State if they plan to investigate the true nature of Hillary's relationship to Huma Abedin, or Justice if they plan to investigate who really killed Vince Foster---never mind the pile of corpses everyone knows the Clintons left behind in Arkansas
If the Clintons were subject to the same laws as the rest of us they'd have both been sent to Arkansas's lethal injection chamber long before they made it to DC.
Grilled steak department, yummy. Pass the Heinz 57 please.
The State department is not separate from the legal system. Its individuals can be prosecuted for derelcition of duty or wilful malfeasance, even if the senior civil servants within the State Department are seeking to subver the law , same as any other individual. Any pro bono lawyers out there willing to bring a well thought out case and by well thought out, by well thought out, I mean spending at least ten minutes reviewing th evidence of law breaking by a politician followed by a refusal to follow the law by state department officials.
damn..I guess that paragraph means i will now be classified as a tax dodging illegal and hostile alien..bleh..oh well... its been a good life up til now..no complaints
"Three Felonies A Day: How the Feds Target the Innocent"
http://www.amazon.com/Three-Felonies-Day-Target-Innocent/dp/1594035229
meanwhile Dinesh D'Souza still gets to sleep each night in a halfway house for election campaign contribution fraud.
He should be so lucky our lord and saviour Obammer didn't have him "suicided"
Well, we now know which reporter will be mysteriously gunned down.
Tragically "suicided" by nail gun on a boat
Its' SURPRISING to see some debate going on here.
The LAWS of the United States are intended to apply to EVERYONE. At least, that was my fleeting impression the last time that I studied the Constitution. I think that the founders of the USA had in mind a Republic where the SAME law applied to everybody. THAT IS EXACTLY WHY the USA separated from Great Britain.
No double standards. HAHAHAHA!!
It's fascinating to watch this evolution of an Aristocratic Class in the USA, made up of elite politicians, bankers and financial wizards who believe that they are 'above the law'. If this process grows and becomes the accepted norm, then YES - we will no longer have a REPUBLIC governed by a Constitution. That should be obvious.
The thing that immediately gets the Clinton Foundation into trouble is that some of this backdoors money-grubbing may be coming from foreign influences. THAT means that overseas countries are buying off the US Government. It's not like this hasn't been tried before, but there are laws against that sort of thing.
BUT THEN AGAIN ... the laws only mean something - if they are enforced.
The State Department needs a thorough douching...preferably with something that quickly dissolves flesh and doesn't stain.
preferably with something that quickly dissolves flesh and doesn't stain.
Hydrofluoric acid works for me . . . one of the strongest acids there is - even will dissolve glass.
Fuck Hilary Clinton, the corrupt cunt.
The Clintons, ever a criminal enterprise, going back all the way to Mena airport drug smuggling operation when Bill as Gov facilated (Search "Mena Airport Clinton"). A whole litany of criminal acts as Bill was Pres (witness interference, disappearance, pay off, etc.).
Lived in Parks at the time. The Mena airport thing was openly discussed. Many folks hunted the woods nearby for "dropped" cargo. Some folks found some "imports".
I've said it before and I'll say it again . . . although the whole election process is a farce, anyone who endorses another Clinton or Bush for president by "voting" for either one is a COMPLETE MORON!!!! The USA is NOT a Monarchy.
I thought these leaks were coming from Valerie Jarrett ?
Has Obama laid the gauntlet to Congress to do the wet work against Cankles. He needs Dem votes to get TTP through. Investigating Hillary would be putting the law above the Party.
Can't have that in the United State of Oligarchy
Up to Boehner now. Why hurry. Next summer subpoena her and let her take time off from campaigning and fundraising to plead the Fifth on national TV
Are the Dems worried what a Hillary implosion does down ticket?
Do the Dems even have a say. With Hillary it is L'etat c'est moi
Looking like she will win in a walkover. She is Teflon
She doesn't even need to be Teflon - they'll put her up all covered in shit and corruption and that's what you'll get.
Haha.
'That's not shit...
It's fertilizer."
Astounding criminality on all ovomit departments especially the dept of partisan injustice. This is loved by most demonrats who seek even more depravity & criminality as long as the liar in chief & ever disgusting POS cliton achieve & maintain power. These people are human sewage as far as I am concerned along with a compliant corrupt media. But status quo in USSA as long as the stupids, lofo's got their smut tv & obola phone. The sheeple count their silver with the nation implodes!
Orwellian double-speak, circular reasoning at it’s finest.
What is it that Hillary has on those emails, or other escapades, done during her tenure as SoS, that would be so devastating that the SD will not investigate her, as it would come out and spray all over Obama?
Obama couldn’t give a crap about her chances of election, so why wouldn’t he do the ‘right’ thing?
That’s the question.
•?•
V-V
Here's the answer.
White guy (Bush), Sort of White guy (Obama), Sort of woman (Cankles), Woman (Boehner), Whatever (Camacho).
The line of succession in the House Of Horrors.
Obama, Donald Young, Clintons?
Hillary Jedi Mind trick..
These are not the donations you're looking for..
Scrutinizer
duplicate
Template for Hillary! campaign: This is old news! Leave her alone!!!
That's all what we need is a female Corzine in the White House.
Hillary is part of Crooks-R-US and they would never allow an investigation….
Yeah, I seen this press conference before.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EdZEJfPPeM
of course the state dept is not going to look into what foreign governments/entities bought a stake in our next TOTUS.
why would they? this is run of the mill, S.O.P for politics in the UFSA, everybody in DC is bought, sold then bought again. it shouldn't be this way but it is and it's not going to change because of the Clinton foundations "clerical errors". the SD spokesmen on the podium probably legitimately didn't have a clue as to why anybody was pressing him on this, such is the culture in DC that he is incapable of seeing where there could be anything wrong or why questions are being raised.
this just further illustrates how absolutely corrupt DC is and we will see further confirmation of this incurable condition when none of this hurts Killory in any way during the primaries or the election.
after all as she said herself, "what difference does it make!?"
none whatsoever.
the only way we the people are ever going to effect any change non violently is to refuse to play the game and starve the beast. leave the polling places empty in 2016 and turn our backs en mass on this whole sick game. make our voices heard though our silence and our refusal to give yet another false red vs blue farce our rubber stamp of legitimacy.
all of us should vote by refusing to vote at all.
a tax revolt would also be helpful and a giant class action lawsuit as we the people should and certainly have ample cause to sue the federal government for taking our money and using it to commit war crimes, murder innocent civilians, destroy our private sector economy, bailout those giant private banks (not only a conflict of interest, but downright fascist) that in turn keep them in platinum parachutes. I mean the list goes on and on so I'm sure a case can be made.
bleed them, us imposing our own economic sanctions on DC until they starve and collapse into there own corrupt, bloated, fascist bureaucratic footprint...
but I realize that it's all just pipe dreams and come next year Hillary will be standing in front of a crowd of mindless drones so proud that they were a part of history in electing our first female president and chanting "what difference does it make?!" over and over again.
: `}
While some of your points are well made, the encouragement of a tax revolt can only come from a place of not knowing how government taxation works in this country.
Fully 75% of the tax revenues are withheld from salaried, and every other workers' paychecks. They have no say in whether or not their taxes are withheld. To some extent you can boost your dependents so less is taken out each pay period, but most dojust the opposite and view their 'refund' as a de facto saving account.
Correct. Furthermore, under Keysianism, they don't even need those automatic withholdings. They can and do simply print the money they need at any point in time, via t-bill offerings, bought back by the fed in the same day.
Also consider how many jobs have no meaningful output other than serving as data point for economic metrics (median salary, employment levels, gasoline consumption, auto sales, etc.)
All of these things validate the system. Just as much as Hillary and all other tax cheats going back and "revising" returns, creates jobs and legitimacy for the system. Or all those folks who don't cheat, but make every life decision based on how it meshes perfectly with the 80,000 page law. (Warren Bufffet, Jeff Immelt, et. all)
Again, the "money" not is and never was needed. The beast does not need 1s and 0s in yellen's blackberry. (which I am sure is actually orange book compliant) The beast simply needs our compliance. Including being outraged, but unable to do anything about the corruption, as shown in this and nearly every other news story.
I fully understand how we are taxed by the feds here, they have been taking money from me illegally my whole life. I also assumed everybody else understood our tax system as well which is why I did not take up another two paragraphs on how exactly a tax revolt might work.
I give the readers here enough credit for independent thought and critical thinking skills to not have to go into laborious detail on everything in the comments that I post.
besides it's the thought that counts, even if it is as I stated, just a pipe dream.
thanks though for assuming what I may or may not understand about how things work in the country I live in.
warmest regards,
not a brainless mall zombie.
U R part of the problem of obfuscation in this country. If you don't clearly elucidate your thoughts, U can expect to be called on it.
What's so hard about acknowledging that impossibility of your own solution, and then NOT posting it?
In the 1990's I stopped voting after the curtains parted exposing the corruption and sociopathic US Deep State that rules behind the facade of 'democracy'.
The US elites run a vicious mass murdering machine. If you strongly stand up against them they will destroy you, like they are using jihadis and fascists overseas to rape and murder to plow the field for US corporate plunder. All the evils they are aiding and abetting overseas is coming home like it did in previous empires. Police departments across the country are being militarized. The DHS is preparing to drop the hammer on the US people.
We shouldn't be surprised. How can the US remain an apple pie and motherhood constitutional republic while it acts fascist in its foreign policy which is transforming the US homeland into a fascist republic.
So true, hide your kids and grandkids, and teach them.
Like your ideas. Ignore the short view, think 100 years or more. Can't save the adults, work on the kids.
“We’re not going to make a retroactive review on these cases and we will not make a retroactive judgment”
Really, they're not even trying anymore. All judgement applied by any authority has to be retroactive by nature. What a fucking scumbag.
See no evil, hear no evil, say no evil.
our grossly outsized gov't is corrupt from the top down, the detroit/baltimore model has been implemneted at the federal level
they've even corrupted our markets, using 4 plus trillion of fed funny money to transform our mechanism for trade and wealth creation to a wealth transfer machine from those who earn it to those who don't....guess who's gonna be left holding their overinflated bags after they burst.
Anyone investigating Hillary's breeches deserves what they find.
https://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/contrib.php?cycle=Career&cid=n00000019
This table lists the top donors to this candidate in 1999-2014. The organizations themselves did not donate, rather the money came from the organizations' PACs, their individual members or employees or owners, and those individuals' immediate families.
Time to repeal some laws?
Indict 535 morons + Criminal-in-Charge for treason, fraud
Amazing. It's been 70 years since Nazis' defeat in Europe, and the same type of financial sociopaths that financed them are now financing their players in Washington D.C. I respect the soldiers, but sociopaths continue to make it all for nothing. We need to fight the financial sociopaths BEFORE the bombs and ammo are made.
This explains why every time I've voted since 1960 things have gotten worse and worser.
Germany was defeated.
The Nazis escaped and got the red carpet treatment in foreign lands.
I would hate to be the one who has to investigate Hillarys breaches.
This should not be allowed to stand. Are we that sedated by the machine?
Bread and circuses. Apparently the new england patriots cheated their way to the superbowl. Who doesn't want the gladiators fighting dirty when the end result is violence and suffering? They might get suspensions, but I think they are off work (with pay) 6 months of the year anyway.
Of course not. Yes!
Alan Grayson blasts Obama Administration and TPP
https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/page/debtslavery?refcode=050915ema...
Recently, I was on Democracy Now!, an hourly news report that runs on over 1250 TV and radio stations worldwide each day. The subject was trade:
NERMEEN SHAIKH: We turn now to the pending vote in Congress on the secretive Trans-Pacific Partnership, a global trade deal currently being negotiated between the United States and 11 Latin American and Asian countries. Senate Finance Committee leaders Republican Orrin Hatch and Democrat Ron Wyden are expected to introduce a "fast-track" trade promotion authority bill as early as this week that would give the president authority to negotiate the TPP trade deal and then present it to Congress for a yes-or-no vote, with no amendments allowed. . . . Congressman Alan Grayson, could you explain your opposition to fast-track authority, and what you're calling on your colleagues in Congress to do?
REP. ALAN GRAYSON: Our "free trade," our so-called free trade policies, have been a disaster for the United States since NAFTA was enacted. Before NAFTA was enacted and went into effect 20 years ago, we never had any year in our history when we had a trade deficit of $135 billion or more. Every single year since then, for 20 years in a row, our trade deficit has been over $135 billion. Our last 14 trade deficits have been the 14 largest trade deficits not only in our history, but in the history of the entire world. And the result of that is that we've gone from $2 trillion in surplus with our trade to $11 trillion in debt. And we've lost five million manufacturing jobs and roughly 15 million other jobs in the last 20 years. So we've lost twice: We've lost the jobs, and we've also gone deeper and deeper into debt.
What's happening is not that we're buying goods and services from foreigners and they're buying an equal amount of goods and services from us-that's the way free trade is supposed to work. What's actually happening is that we're buying our goods and services from foreigners, and they are taking the money that we give to them for that, and buying our assets.
That has all sorts of consequences for our economy. First we lose those jobs. Secondly, it makes American income and wealth more and more unequal. The reason why we have the fourth most unequal distribution of wealth in the world is because of fake trade. The reason why we have a bizarre, and at this point unprecedented, "quantitative easing" [monetary] policy, where the government uses the cash in our pockets to buy up assets and drive those asset prices up further and further, is because of fake trade. The reason why we have a federal deficit is because we have a trade deficit. The TPP, "fast-track," the Transatlantic version of TPP, these dramatically increase the amount of countries with whom we have this relationship-they quadruple them-and they put us on a fast track to Hell, where America is nothing but cheap labor and debt slavery. . . .
AMY GOODMAN: I want to turn to President Obama speaking in February after he began the major push for Trans-Pacific Partnership.
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: This is bipartisan legislation that would protect American workers and promote American businesses, with strong new trade deals from Asia to Europe that aren't just free, but are fair. It would level the playing field for American workers. It would hold all countries to the same high labor and environmental standards to which we hold ourselves. Now, I'm the first to admit that past trade deals haven't always lived up to the hype. And that's why we've successfully gone after countries that break the rules at our workers' expense. But that doesn't mean we should close ourselves off from new opportunities and sit on the sidelines while other countries write our future for us.
AMY GOODMAN: So, that's President Obama speaking in February. President Obama is, obviously, President of the United States, [the] leading Democrat. Congressman Grayson, he represents your party, as well. Why the difference? Who are the blocs now that are united? We're not just talking [that] it's Democrats here and Republicans here. What set of Republicans and Democrats agree on this?
REP. ALAN GRAYSON: Well, it's a mystery to me. You know, I was in the room when the President gave that statement, made that speech. He gave a 45-minute speech. On those three sentences, that was the only time during that entire speech when the Republicans rose up and applauded him, and the Democrats did not. I think that's very revealing. There are very, very few Democratic votes [for Fast-Track] in the House of Representatives, because we represent ordinary working people. The groups that are lobbying the hardest for this are the multinational corporations, and their K Street lobbyists. They're the ones who desperately want to see this passed. . . . Ordinary Democrats represent constituencies who have been hurt hard, really hurt very hard, by the loss of those five million manufacturing jobs and 15 million other jobs. Go to any Democratic district in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and you'll see exactly what I'm talking about. And the fact is that there is very little support, if any significant support, within the Democratic House Caucus for Fast-Track or for the TPP. We do have a few corporate Democrats. Frankly, we do have a couple of sell-out Democrats, who have sold out to the corporate lobbyists. But the bulk of the Democratic Party well understands, along with the labor movement and ordinary people, that these policies have been disastrous for us. And it is a lie to say that they will improve the economy. In fact, they will continue the downward trend of the economy, until foreigners own everything. . . .
AMY GOODMAN: Congressman Grayson, do you have to rely on WikiLeaks to get information about what's actually in the TPP agreement?
REP. ALAN GRAYSON: Well, one of the sad and disturbing elements of this whole process has been the artificial secrecy that's been imposed by the Administration and by the Trade Representative on these dealings. I can't think of any other occasion, when I've served in Congress, when I've seen the element of deception loom so large here. The public is better informed of Iraqi attacks on ISIS, which you'd think would be classified, than it is informed on a trade deal that's going to determine our economic future for the next 20 years. What's happened is that, right at the beginning, the Trade Representative took the absurd position that everything that was being negotiated was classified, even though it was directly in the hands of the foreign governments with whom he was negotiating. Remember, normally, we have a classified system to keep information away from our enemies, or at least other governments. In this case, it was the other governments that had the information, and it was Congress and the American people who were being denied the information. And they took that position for five years, even though 100 members of Congress wrote a letter to the trade representative saying, "Cut this out."
Now, I'm the first member of Congress to actually see any part of the TPP, even though 600 corporate lobbyists are, quote, "advisors" to the Trade Representative, and they get to see everything. And I insisted they take that information to my office, and in return they told me I couldn't take it with me, I couldn't take it home, I couldn't make notes on it, I couldn't have my staff present. And here's the kicker: They didn't want me to discuss it with the media, the public or even other Members of Congress. So it's a farce. And it's meant specifically to keep the information away from the American people, because if the American people knew what was going on, they'd recognize that it's a punch to the face of the middle class in America. . . .
AMY GOODMAN: Well, we want to thank you for being with us, Congressman Alan Grayson, Democrat of Florida's 9th Congressional District.
If we want to avoid a future of "cheap labor and debt slavery," then we have to fight back, and fight back now, before it's too late. To see the video, or to support our "Truth in Trade" campaign, click right here.
Courage,
Rep. Alan Grayson
I hope everyone reads at least the highlighted portions of the above.
The slightest deviation .... from Capitalist orthodoxy .... has stunningly negative social, cultural and economic consequences .... as deviations increase arithmetically .... the consequences soar exponentially .... and the confusion provides cover for the failure !
Silly Reporter! He should know by now that the Crimes of such Highly Placed persons NEVER see the light of day!
I remember the good old days when people were outraged when the broke-ass Clintons were renting out the Lincoln Bedroom for cash.
If she gets in they will be selling whatever's left of this country.
And you thought the Nazis had hidden a lot dead bodies.....
But Bill let an intern touch his pee-pee!!!!
That's the most important thing to remember...
20 million was spent on the 9/11 commission. 200 million was spent on the impeachment of bill clinton for lying about sex with a consenting adult.
Pay your taxes early. Pay your taxes often. Or ...
fuck all the clinton trolls- this is about criminal elite fuck you all..justice may never come, but death and civil disorder is very possible- no controlling legal authority- fuck DOJ, fuck every DA, fuck every judge, fuck every legal professional, esp the law schools of amerika fuck you all.
If to shine the light on the most vile hated scumbag of shit to ever come along the pike was the purpose here, they have done an excellent job of doing so. Everybody sees the horrid corruption, but they do not care. Please turn off the light and put a bag over its face. The stench of this wicked evil witch thing is to ugly to bare.