New York Times: A Donor’s Gift to Bill's Foundation Soon Followed Hillary’s Help

[ClarkUSA]

I'm sure this is all a coincidence.

WASHINGTON — An upstate New York developer donated $100,000 to former
President Bill Clinton’s foundation in November 2004, around the same
time that Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton helped secure millions of dollars
in federal assistance for the businessman’s mall project.

Robert J. Congel donated $100,000 to the Clinton Foundation as Hillary
Rodham Clinton pushed bills to help his mall project. Mrs. Clinton helped
enact legislation allowing the developer, Robert J. Congel, to use tax-exempt
bonds to help finance the construction of the Destiny USA entertainment
and shopping complex, an expansion of the Carousel Center in Syracuse.

Mrs. Clinton also helped secure a provision in a highway bill that set aside
$5 million for Destiny USA roadway construction.

The bill with the tax-free bonds provision became law in October 2004,
weeks before the donation, and the highway bill with the set-aside became
law in August 2005, about nine months after the donation.

Mr. Congel and Philippe Reines, a spokesman for Mrs. Clinton, both said
there was no connection between his donation and her legislative work
on his project’s behalf.

Hmm.... those Senate hearings should be fun. Pay to play, anyone?

[Trajan]

1. And I thought the primaries were over ....

I guess for some it will never be over ....

[Barack_America]

6. Ethics goes beyond primary battles.

This sort of thing (if there does turn out to be fire behind this smoke) is bad for our country. If an elected official is engaged in this sort of thing, I don't care who they are or what party they're with, I want to know about it.

[sandnsea]

9. I care about the tax exemptions

How often do Senators get tax exemptions for specific developers.

[Captain Hilts]

20. A LOT. nt

[sandnsea]

26. Expound please

Seriously. I've never seen a specific company getting a specific tax exemption like this. Sure, maybe all sheep herders for wool, or for the spinach e coli problem, or highways, but not for one specific company to build a mall.

[truedelphi]

31. One of the few non-corrupt areas of life in Marin County was its highway stance

When Hahn wanted to develop the "Village" shopping center in the early seventies, he was required to pay for the cost of the on and off ramps, and also any other roads needing to be expanded or improved for the purpose of getting folks to his mall.

It was historic decision and has greatly helped other communities in California say no to the notorious practice of "helping" the rich build their super malls at taxpayer expense.

[truedelphi]

32. Eliminated for being a duplicate

[Andy823]

12. I agree.

If we don't hold both parties to the same standards, we are no better than than the other side. If a person is doing wrong in either party, the country has a right to know about it, and to demand an explanation. If there is any kind of crooked dealings going on then that person needs to be removed from public office, no matter what party they are in.

I admire Bill Richardson fro doing the right thing and stepping to down now instead of having things come back later on and make the Obama administration look bad.

[Faygo Kid]

14. Me, too.

Nobody should get a free pass on this stuff. Including Hillary Clinton. It needs to be investigated, fully and fairly.

[book_worm]

10. true, but then the attacks on DU towards Obama have never let up either.

[IndianaJones]

2. she should have gotten Bill Richardson to "help" with the campaign debt. lost opportunity. nt

[ErinBerin84]

28. well, he did do a fundraiser for her debt.

Richardson/Hillary probably got over the primary thing a lot more easily than some others.

[NYC_SKP]

3. Uh oh...

:popcorn:

[Barack_America]

4. self-delete

wrong spot

[mod mom]

5. I've wondered how Hillary could survive her connections with Bill.

I wondered how the world would view a SOS who failed to publicly denounce her husband's support of a noted TYRANT to oversee an international organization that oversees elections for big bucks:

After Mining Deal, Financier Donated to Clinton

By JO BECKER and DON VAN NATTA Jr.
Published: January 31, 2008
Late on Sept. 6, 2005, a private plane carrying the Canadian mining financier Frank Giustra touched down in Almaty, a ruggedly picturesque city in southeast Kazakhstan. Several hundred miles to the west a fortune awaited: highly coveted deposits of uranium that could fuel nuclear reactors around the world. And Mr. Giustra was in hot pursuit of an exclusive deal to tap them.

Unlike more established competitors, Mr. Giustra was a newcomer to uranium mining in Kazakhstan, a former Soviet republic. But what his fledgling company lacked in experience, it made up for in connections. Accompanying Mr. Giustra on his luxuriously appointed MD-87 jet that day was a former president of the United States, Bill Clinton.

-snip


"Kazakhstan’s president, Nursultan A. Nazarbayev, whose 19-year stranglehold on the country has all but quashed political dissent."

"Mr. Nazarbayev walked away from the table with a propaganda coup, after Mr. Clinton expressed enthusiastic support for the Kazakh leader’s bid to head an international organization that monitors elections and supports democracy."

-snip

Just months after the Kazakh pact was finalized, Mr. Clinton’s charitable foundation received its own windfall: a $31.3 million donation from Mr. Giustra that had remained a secret until he acknowledged it last month. The gift, combined with Mr. Giustra’s more recent and public pledge to give the William J. Clinton Foundation an additional $100 million, secured Mr. Giustra a place in Mr. Clinton’s inner circle, an exclusive club of wealthy entrepreneurs in which friendship with the former president has its privileges.

LINK:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/31/us/politics/31donor.html

[sandnsea]

7. Why is a Senator doing this anyway?

I don't even care about the $100,000 to the Clinton Foundation. I tend to give to people I like too.

What pisses me off is that Senators are using the budget for specific development projects. Nobody ever got me, personally, a tax exemption for any damn thing. What the hell is this? How often does this happen?

[Orangepeel]

25. Senators and Congressional Reps often secure funds for projects that benefit their constituents

That's that "pork" you hear so much about. If this project would provide jobs and other benefits to New Yorkers, Hillary would have pushed for it with or without a donation.

That may be a flaw in the system, but it sure isn't unique to the Senator from New York.

[sandnsea]

34. I don't mean random government projects

I'm very familiar with that. I'm asking about this specific tax break for this specific company.

[book_worm]

8. Let's face it they will try to dig up anything to hurt Obama and the Clinton's it won't work.

[mod mom]

11. Congel gave $100,000 in Nov 2004 to Clinton Foundation, but gave to RNC, GOP Candidates recently:

from the article:

-snip
A Destiny USA spokesman said Mr. Congel made a $100,000 donation in November 2004.

-snip

In the most recent election cycle, he donated money to the Republican National Committee and to the Republican presidential primary campaigns of Rudolph W. Giuliani, Fred D. Thompson and Mitt Romney.


SOUNDS LIKE A REPUBLICAN TO ME, SO WHY DID HE GIVE $100,000 TO THE CLINTON FOUNDATION?

[Captain Hilts]

21. Wealthy people and companies give to both parties to cover all contingencies. nt

[mod mom]

24. When favors are done for donations, we need to expose it. The MONEY Party is destroying

this country. It doesn't matter whether there is an R or a D, candidates that belong to the Money Party need to be removed from office, imho. BTW I posted an LA Times article below that shows she receives tens of thousands of dollars.

from the LA Times article:

Congel, his family and associates affiliated with his development have donated $40,000 to Clinton’s state and national campaigns since she first ran for office in 1999.

In May, Congel co-hosted a Syracuse fundraiser for her, an event said to have raised an additional $50,000. Lobbying firms hired by Congel in connection with Destiny and other ventures also donated more than $200,000 to various Clinton campaign funds, records show.

-snip

http://articles.latimes.com/2007/dec/10/nation/na-earmarks10

[DeschutesRiver]

13. What would happen if...

Senators just made it a policy to not accept donations from those who have benefited directly from their actions or legislation? Just to remove all doubt? I assume this is pretty naive thinking on my part, but damn, this shadow of favoritism thing has got to stop somehow.

I am sick of bailouts without accountability; sick of pay-to-play being the accepted norm, instead of the exception to the norm; sick of how our two party system is having no problem with making this kind of bribery so blatent.

[frazzled]

17. What if we had publicly funded elections only?

Of course, in this situation, it was not a campaign contribution but a contribution to the Clinton Foundation. I am making no judgment at this point as to whether there was quid pro quo. Could be just bad timing. The Clinton Fdn. is well respected on left and right, and it's not surprising when big rollers give to it. It's always hard to have ties to one's spouse's business doings ... just a thorny thing in general, I think: but not always reflective of the spouse-bystander.

[Jennicut]

22. It would not stop it. Companies would just give to the spouse's business or something else

Greed knows no bounds.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

36. Makes too much sense, which is why it'll never happen. . . .

Besides, how do you expect politicians to cover up these kickbacks, a.k.a bribes, if you outlaw them?

[AtomicKitten]

15. I expect the wingnuts will be excavating all kinds of dirt to use in the confirmation hearing. nt

[Metric System]

16. I think you mean you're hoping.

[AtomicKitten]

18. that's a petty mindless remark -- In fact, I want no impediments for Obama's presidency.

[cherokeeprogressive]

37. You are correct. It might just be fun to hear Hillary say...

"I have no specific recollection." Or maybe "there is no ruling legal authority". Maybe she'll even take the Fifth?

Goodness me, what we won't defend in the name of getting Democrats into power.

[camera obscura]

19. I thought of this as soon as I heard the Richardson news.

I greatly respect Clinton but I never wanted her as part of the administration in a foreign policy respect. I would hate for Obama to undergo another cabinet switch-up but in this case, it could be for the better if he picked someone who was more balanced about the Middle East, whether that is Susan Rice, Samantha Power, Sarah Sewell, or Chuck Hagel.

[mod mom]

23. LA Times talks about this back in December 2007:

Archive for Monday, December 10, 2007

Clinton rolls a sizable pork barrel
By Tom Hamburger and Dan Morain
December 10, 2007 in print edition A-1

It’s a real estate developer’s sugar-plum dream: a mega-shopping mall complete with 10 Broadway-style theaters, an indoor river, a Tuscan village and a 39-story luxury hotel sheathed in green solar panels shaped like giant blades of grass. Plus as much as $1 billion in government-backed financing, thanks in part to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Not everyone thinks the plan, known as Destiny USA and still in the early bulldozer stage, is a good idea. Many on the Syracuse City Council consider its tax breaks a waste of public money. Others fear it could damage the struggling downtown area. Others question whether all its dazzling features will ever be built.

One thing is clear, however: Destiny is a classic example of how New York’s junior senator has embraced old-fashioned pork-barrel politics, first to build power in the state, then to extend it nationwide as she becomes a leading candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination.

-snip

In the case of Destiny, she teamed up with other New York lawmakers to secure federal backing for the private investment project. And she collected tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from the developer and others associated with the project.

-snip

http://articles.latimes.com/2007/dec/10/nation/na-earmarks10

[Metric System]

27. Interesting to note that this thread has more Recs than the Richardson threads.

[polichick]

29. Pay to Play is rampant in politics, from obtaining city building variances to...

...landing enormous defense contracts ~ it's just a matter of getting caught.

[Number23]

30. Lord have mercy...

((deep rib-cracking sigh))

[hedgehog]

33. The Destiny Mall has been a local joke for years. I never understood

why it didn't die until I found out that Hillary had been funneling federal money to it. Here's a reasonable description:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Destiny_USA


and a reasonable sample of local comments:

http://www.city-data.com/forum/syracuse-area/288111-what-destiny-usa.html


At one point, there was a proposal to build a golf course on top of the sewage treatment plant that is adjacent to the mall.

[Muttocracy]

35. so absurd... imagine if the money had gone to a manufacturer... nt

[mod mom]

38. A joke on the taxpayers. How is this different from the Richardson deal? LA Times

reported:

"Congel, his family and associates affiliated with his development have donated $40,000 to Clinton’s state and national campaigns since she first ran for office in 1999.

In May, Congel co-hosted a Syracuse fundraiser for her, an event said to have raised an additional $50,000. Lobbying firms hired by Congel in connection with Destiny and other ventures also donated more than $200,000 to various Clinton campaign funds, records show."

I don't understand why Richardson is top story in MSM while only the NYT has carried this (LA Times was an old story from 2007).