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by Jack Kelly
October 4, 2016
As a young reporter for the Dallas Times Herald, I covered the trials of two of the smaller fry in Watergate. What’s going on now makes me wonder what all the fuss was about back then.
The Clinton Foundation and associated email scandals dwarf Watergate – and every other political scandal in American history.
Besides Watergate (1973-74), the other biggies are Iran-Contra (1985-87), Teapot Dome (1921-22), the Whiskey Ring (1875), and Credit Mobilier (1872-73).
The Reagan administration sold arms to Iran, used the proceeds to buy weapons for anti-Communist guerrillas in Nicaragua. That violated the Boland Amendment, which forbade expenditure of funds to oust the Sandinista regime.
Iraq was then at war with Iran. It was in the interest of the United States to keep these bitter enemies of ours fighting each other for as long as possible. It was also in our interest to keep the Communists from establishing a foothold in Central America.
It was not in America’s interest for the Obama administration to pay $1.7 billion to Iran. Much of that money likely will be used to support Iran’s nuclear program, Hezbollah and terror groups.
Payments to the mullahs violated a law that forbids aid to Iran, said former U.S. attorney Andrew McCarthy. This has elicited barely a murmur of protest from journalists outraged by Iran-Contra.
President Nixon covered up a petty crime (a break-in at the headquarters of the Democrat National Committee in the Watergate office building) of which he had no prior knowledge. The “smoking gun” that brought down the Nixon presidency – an 18 ½ minute gap on a single audio tape – pales into insignificance compared to the destruction of thousands of Hillary Clinton’s emails after they’d been subpoenaed.
Watergate didn’t endanger national security. It’s all but certain Hillary’s use of insecure private servers has provided our enemies with a treasure trove of America’s secrets.
Two deals Secretary of State Clinton approved after donations were made to the Clinton Foundation also endanger our security. She permitted the Russians to take control of 20 percent of U.S. uranium supplies. And she facilitated the transfer of dual use (military and civilian) technologies to the Kremlin.
In 1921, in exchange for money and gifts totaling about $404,000, Interior Secretary Albert Fall granted – on very generous terms and without competitive bidding – leases to oil companies on federal land in Wyoming (Teapot Dome) and California.
Fall went to prison. The Obama administration is doing essentially the same thing with regard to “green” energy firms who want to build on federal lands, but few journalists have noticed.
Comprised mainly of distillers in St. Louis, Chicago and Milwaukee, the Whiskey Ring in 1875 bribed IRS and other government officials to avoid paying the liquor tax. After the ring was exposed by Treasury Secretary Benjamin Bristow, 238 were indicted, 110 convicted.
Ostensibly a holding and construction company created by stockholders of the Union Pacific railroad, Credit Mobilier was basically a scheme to rip off the taxpayers, who subsidized construction of the transcontinental railroad. Credit Mobilier grossly overcharged UP for building the railroad, which passed the bills on to the federal government. Stock was given to key members of Congress to grease support for the sweetheart deal.
Credit Mobilier involved what was big money in 1872. But even after factoring in inflation, Credit Mobilier, the Whiskey Ring and Teapot Dome added together are chump change compared to what the Clinton Foundation has raked in with its “play for pay” schemes.
Financial analyst Charles Ortel found major discrepancies between what donors say they gave and what the Clinton Foundation reported receiving. The Clintons and their partners have lined their pockets at the expense of the desperately poor, he said.
After a devastating earthquake struck Haiti in 2010, Bill and Hillary controlled dispersal of more than $10 billion in aid funds.
“On earthquake anniversaries Haitians…have made a ritual of searching through the rubble for the reconstruction funds that were donated by good people from all around the world,” said Haitian journalist Dady Cheri. “Everyone asks: ‘Where did the money go?’”
Answer: in the Clintons’ crooked pockets. So – why didn’t Trump say a word about the Crooked Clinton Foundation in the debate last night? The greatest political scandal in American history conducted by a former president and his wife who may be elected president, and he ignored it entirely. Why?
— Jack Kelly is a former Marine and Green Beret, and was the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force during the Reagan Administration, and he is the national security writer for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. This article originally appeared at To The Point News.
Rod is one of our nation’s leading minds. He’s smart, original, and very committed—a combination that one rarely finds.
Rod Martin and [former Howard Dean campaign manager] Joe Trippi are America’s two foremost experts on online politics.
Rod Martin is a Reaganite-Thatcherite conservative…[and] a man who has spent much of his life ministering to and working for the benefit of others. I know Rod as an advocate for freedom, a leader who understands the real changes we need in Washington, and who has the drive and ability to make those changes happen.
Rod Martin is the kind of dynamic leader who has the knowledge, ability and experience to lead us successfully into the 21st Century. His vision for America is compelling.
Rod Martin literally wrote the book on excellence. Humble yet brilliant, a man of love and compassion, with penetrating clarity he illuminates the world around us, and we are both stirred and enlightened.
Rod Martin is a born leader and an outstanding political mind. Anyone who takes him on is going to have a serious fight on their hands.
Rod Martin is a man of uncommon vision and character. Ever since I first worked alongside Rod in the early days of PayPal, I’ve been struck by his powerful vision for the future. Rod understands the intersection of technology, politics and culture in a way that few others do.
Rod Martin wears with uncommon grace an uncanny ability to link his vigorous faith to the practical challenges of both the business world and the political arena. Yet the respect he shows for others carries a warmth and modesty that are both too rare among those who are strong advocates of feisty positions.
America badly needs more leaders who really get the future. We need more Rod Martins.
Rod Martin is a modern day philosopher-statesman. He is a capitalist intellectual, a conservative iconoclast, a gentle adversary and a kind prophet. He inspires us towards a fresh national vision built upon the original founding principles.
Rod Martin is not only effective and efficient, but he is also perceptive, wise and gracious. He gets things done. He is a great friend and a great ally.
Rod is one of the sharpest, most gracious men I know, and one of the most gifted political thinkers today. His ability to analyze issues and communicate thoughtful insights on them have earned him the respect of people across the political spectrum.
I am proud to have been Rod Martin’s friend for a quarter century, and I can tell you that he is one of the finest men and most outstanding leaders in our church and in our country today. He has a knack for turning everything he touches to success.
Rod Martin is a cornucopian entrepreneur and eutropic thinker whose influence radiates through an array of companies, institutions, movements and churches. A renaissance American, he is also a prolific friend of freedom and faith around the globe.
If Rod Martin represents the next generation of leaders, America has nothing to worry about.
A leader and a servant, in public life and in private, Rod Martin strides at the top of his profession, and has nowhere to go but up. He is in the truest sense of the word ‘outstanding’.
Rod Martin is undoubtedly one of the most accomplished thought leaders today. He is a wonderful mentor, a humble role model, and a deep inspiration for the next generation of scientific innovators and entrepreneurs.
Rod’s achievements pale beside his character and his brilliance. He sees what others can’t. He leads when others won’t.
Rod Martin is one of America’s finest young minds.
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