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Clinton run for presidency swept up in Haitian gold mining permit affair
MINING.COM ^ | 03/09/2015 | Andrew Topf

Posted on 03/09/2015 2:22:44 PM PDT by SeekAndFind

The presidential ambitions of Hillary Rodham Clinton have become ensnared in an obscure gold-mining project in Haiti, as the Democratic favorite for the presidency begins her second run for the White House.

In a story that suggests cronyism, questionable ethics and a blurring of the lines between charity and profiteering, The Daily Mail reported on Sunday that Hillary Clinton's brother, Tony Rodham, sat on the board of VCS Mining when the unlisted, Delaware-based junior was granted a permit to mine gold in Haiti following a massive earthquake on the impoverished island nation in 2010. The permit was the first to be granted in over 50 years, VCS Mining wrote in the press release announcing the awarding of the 5-year exploitation permit.

While Rodham's involvement in the gold project, called Morne Bossa, would normally be of little cause for concern, what has raised eyebrows is the timing of the permit, granted two years after the earthquake that killed over 100,000 people, and the fact that Rodham "was a board member of a North Carolina mining company that enjoyed prime access to Haitian gold deposits in the wake of post-earthquake relief work organized in part by former president Bill Clinton through the Clinton Foundation," according to the Daily Mail. Another VCS board member was Jean-Max Bellerive, noted the Mail, who co-chaired the charitable Interim Haiti Recovery Commission with former US president Bill Clinton.

However the company vigorously defends against the allegation, saying in a press release that Rodham and Bellerive did not become become members of the board of directors until Oct. 27, 2013, almost a year after the final development permit for Morne Bossa was issued.

"We never expected or asked Mr. Rodham for any special treatment and did not receive any. There was no quid pro quo concerning the Clinton Foundation suggested or offered and VCS has not received any financial assistance from any Clinton entity nor has the Company solicited any Clinton entity," the company states.

Still the allegations concerning her brother come at a bad time for Hillary Clinton, who is increasingly in the media spotlight as the frontrunner to become the Democratic presidential nominee. The former secretary of state and first lady came under fire this week when it was discovered she used a private email address, rather than a public, traceable one, while at the State Department. Further questions were raised upon revelations that Scott Gration, the US ambassador to Kenya while Clinton was Secretary of State, was kicked from his post for a similar move to keep emails from public view. The Clinton Foundation has also been criticized recently for accepting donations from countries that Clinton dealt with while Secretary, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Iran, which could create conflicts of interest with such countries should Clinton become president.

After the earthquake in Haiti, the Clinton Foundation raised around $36 million for disaster relief, while the Obama Administration kicked in $3.6 billion.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events; US: Delaware
KEYWORDS: 2010; 2013; 201310; 20131023; anthonyrodham; bellerive; caribbean; clinton; clintonfoundation; disasterrelief; gold; golddeposits; goldmining; haiti; heavymetals; hillary; hillary2016; ihrc; mining; mornebossa; poverty; tonyrodham; vcsmining

1 posted on 03/09/2015 2:22:44 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

I think they are just sitting back and throwing out this stuff so she can have a clean venue when says she is running,


2 posted on 03/09/2015 2:26:51 PM PDT by easternsky
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To: SeekAndFind

“Old news”

/Clinton media hoors


3 posted on 03/09/2015 2:33:10 PM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either satire or opinion. Or both.)
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To: SeekAndFind

I think her own party is shoving it to her. They have someone in the wings. She’s too old, sick and has too much damn baggage.....much more now than when she gotten beaten by the clean, articulate, black, man.


4 posted on 03/09/2015 2:33:21 PM PDT by Sacajaweau
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To: Sacajaweau

The media sure is reporting a lot of negative stories about the Clintons and their foundation. You would swear that someone behind the scenes is pushing negative stories about the Clintons for some unknown reason.


5 posted on 03/09/2015 2:36:45 PM PDT by Dilbert San Diego
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To: SeekAndFind

Who can forget her brother - Hugh Rodman - who lived in the White House during the Clintons’ occupancy - who requested that he stay on after the Bush election.

As my mother would say: What crust!


6 posted on 03/09/2015 2:38:04 PM PDT by miss marmelstein (Richard the Third: "I should like to drive away not only the Turks (moslims) but all my foes.")
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To: SeekAndFind

He should have stuck with the hazelnut deal.


7 posted on 03/09/2015 2:43:36 PM PDT by mass55th (Courage is being scared to death - but saddling up anyway...John Wayne)
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To: easternsky

I think they are just sitting back and throwing out this stuff so she can have a clean venue when says she is running,

I have to wonder if the E-mail-gate was “Controversy Cover” for this crap...


8 posted on 03/09/2015 2:46:16 PM PDT by GraceG (Protect the Border from Illegal Aliens, Don't Protect Illegal Alien Boarders...)
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To: SeekAndFind

A brother-in-law on the board of directors is standard practice, almost every lawmaker whose name you know will have one of these here or there.

It is only an issue here because they have decided to get rid of her. They are ramping up the pressure as they show her its better to go into quiet retirement.

You’ll notice her closest allies are turning on her... all in the same day. The word has been passed and everyone is getting on the right side of it.


9 posted on 03/09/2015 2:52:16 PM PDT by marron
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To: SeekAndFind

10 posted on 03/09/2015 3:00:15 PM PDT by Travis McGee (www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com)
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To: All
The Clinton Foundation has been criticized for accepting donations from countries that Clinton dealt with while Secy of State----the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Iran---- which could create conflicts of interest should Clinton become president. After the earthquake in Haiti, the Clinton Foundation raised around $36 million for disaster relief, while the Obama Administration kicked in $3.6 billion.

Protesters Gathered at Clinton Foundation to Complain of 'Missing US foreign aid Money' for Haiti Recovery

Protesters gathered outside the Clinton Foundation in Harlem to complain about "missing money" from the US State Dept's recovery effort for the 2010 Haitian earthquake:

"New Yorkers with roots in Haiti protested, saying the picture [of the Haiti recovery] isn't so rosy," said the NY1-TV anchor. "People raised their voices to call attention to the missing money.

They protested outside the offices of the Clinton Foundation, which helped lead the reconstruction fund."

The protesters claimed that the US State Dept's $10 billion meant to help rebuild Haiti did little to help the country after the devastating 2010 quake. And that much of the money went to non-Haitian companies.

Said one proteser, “The Haitian people are still living in very difficult conditions, still living under tents, while Bill Clinton and his cronies--they waste this money."

==============================================

POINTS TO PONDER:

<><> As Obama's secretary of state, Hillary devoted much of her time in 2010 to the Haiti recovery.

<><> The State Dept recently issued a "special management alert"-----that it had "no idea" what happened to $6 billion used to pay its contractors.....it warned “significant financial risk and a lack of internal control at State has led to billions of unaccounted dollars over the last six years....under Hillary's watch.

<><> Bill Clinton got his hands on hundreds of million of dollars while Hillary controlled the State Dept checkbook..... monies that were meant for Haiti

<><> the newlywed Clintons spent their honeymoon in Haiti.

<><> Clinton Foundation donor: Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund (GHWB-WJC principles).

11 posted on 03/09/2015 3:04:00 PM PDT by Liz
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To: All
SOURCE: March 04, 2001---BY LISA GETTER, LA TIMES STAFF WRITER

Family Ties Put Rodham Brothers in Spotlight Clinton Pardon probe shows ex-president's relatives used connections for themselves and friends.

EXCERPT---Tony and Hugh Rodham lived simple, anonymous lives in Miami.Tony was a private investigator and process server. Hugh was a public defender. Neither was a political player. All that changed when Bill Clinton became president and their sister Hillary Rodham Clinton became first lady.

<><> These days (2001) , Tony Rodham is a Washington consultant who travels around the world in search of business opportunities. He has recently been to Taiwan, Dubai, Cambodia and the former Soviet Union. Hugh is a lawyer in Fort Lauderdale who works on class-action lawsuits and moves in political circles.

<><> The Rodman brothers' activities became a focus of attention 2001 as a congressional committee examined the controversial pardons and commutations President Clinton granted before leaving office in January. The House panel cited $434,000 that Hugh Rodham collected--and subsequently repaid--for lobbying the White House on behalf of two felons seeking presidential clemency.

<><> Friends cite Hugh's fees in the two clemency cases--which Hillary Clinton publicly called last month a "terrible misjudgment"--as an aberration. Both Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton said they were unaware of his fees and demanded he return the money.

<><> By most accounts, Tony Rodham, 46, has been the most active in seeking business opportunities since the Clintons moved into the White House.In the last four years, he has sought deals all over the world, sometimes using his political contacts. "I just bring different peoples together. I help them negotiate deals. I solve problems for people," Tony Rodman said on CNN.

<><> In August 1999, Tony and Hugh traveled to the Republic of Georgia to set up a $118-million hazelnut company. Tony had met his partner in the deal, Stephen Graham, through the Democratic National Committee, where Tony went to work in the mid-1990. After U.S. officials complained that the deal was causing diplomatic friction, Hugh dropped out but Tony remained an active player.

<><> In 1998, Graham and Tony Rodham traveled to Cambodia in search of new business, meeting with Prime Minister Hun Sen. "It was just a trade possibility," Graham said. That visit worried the State Department, which had been critical of the Cambodian government's human rights record.

<><> Last June 2000, Tony and Hugh Rodham traveled to Taiwan, where they met with Vice President Annette Lu and other government officials over lunch. "They were looking for some business opportunities," said Parris Chang, a member of Taiwan's national assembly who attended the meeting. "The trip was considered very hush-hush. Nobody wanted to talk about it because their BIL was the president--because if China knew about the trip, they might raise issues." Chang said no deal materialized.

http://articles.latimes.com/2001/mar/04/news/mn-33242

12 posted on 03/09/2015 3:20:11 PM PDT by Liz
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To: easternsky

would normally be of little cause for concern?
How much gold is Andrew getting?


13 posted on 03/09/2015 3:23:35 PM PDT by minnesota_bound
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To: SeekAndFind
Why do the Clintons need a mining permit?

They've been mining gold all over the world for years without a permit using their "charitable foundation". They have been digging up tens of millions, maybe billions, too!

14 posted on 03/09/2015 3:23:56 PM PDT by Gritty (Between Iran and ISIS, the enemy of my enemy is ... my enemy! - Benjamin Netanyahu)
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To: SeekAndFind

The Rodhams have no compunction about stealing from the people of the poorest nation in the western hemisphere.


15 posted on 03/09/2015 3:24:28 PM PDT by reg45 (Barack 0bama: Implementing class warfare by having no class.)
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To: minnesota_bound

Liars all of them , who knows?


16 posted on 03/09/2015 5:51:53 PM PDT by easternsky
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