Uranium, Philanthropy, Fast Cash, Kazakhstan, Clinton
Jo Becker and Don Van Natta detail the philanthropic and financial ties between Bill Clinton and a mining magnate named Frank Giustra in today’s Times. It’s an engaging feat of investigative journalism and well worth reading. At least if, like me, you’re interested in mining, money, influence, Central Asia, and calling people out.
It comes a few days after the columnist Frank Rich described the secrecy with which the Clintons are treating donors to the Clinton Library:
Just before the holidays, investigative reporters at both The Washington Post and The New York Times tried to find out why [the donor list remains secret], with no help from the Clintons. The Post uncovered a plethora of foreign contributors, led by Saudi Arabia. The Times found an overlap between library benefactors and Hillary Clinton campaign donors, some of whom might have an agenda with a new Clinton administration. (Much as one early library supporter, Marc Rich’s ex-wife, Denise, had an agenda with the last one.) “The vast scale of these secret fund-raising operations presents enormous opportunities for abuse,” said Representative Henry Waxman, the California Democrat whose legislation to force disclosure passed overwhelmingly in the House but remains stalled in the Senate.
The Post and Times reporters couldn’t unlock all the secrets. The unanswered questions could keep them and their competitors busy until Nov. 4. Mr. Clinton’s increased centrality to the campaign will also give The Wall Street Journal a greater news peg to continue its reportorial forays into the unraveling financial partnership between Mr. Clinton and the swashbuckling billionaire Ron Burkle.
Filed under: influence, international, journalism
Tags: Bill Clinton, influence, Kazakhstan, mining, uranium
