Hillary Clinton under fire after Boeing gave her foundation $900,000 weeks after she made 'shameless pitch' for company to a Russian airline
- While secretary of state, Mrs. Clinton asked Russia's state-owned airline Rosavia to buy Boeing planes
- Boeing won the multibillion-dollar contract, and then made a $900,000 donation to a Clinton Foundation program rebuilding schools in Haiti
- A conservative activist challenged Boeing's CEO during a shareholder meeting, saying the move could open the company to prosecution
- The apparent conflict-of-interest is a black eye for Mrs. Clinton as she prepares to enter the 2016 presidential race
During a
Boeing shareholder meeting on Monday,a conservative activist accused the
aircraft company's CEO of buying then-Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton's 'commercial advocacy' in Russia by making a $900,000 donation
to the Clinton Foundation.
The money was earmarked for rebuilding schools in Haiti in the wake of a devastating 2010 earthquake.
But
the contribution came just months after Mrs. Clinton traveled to Moscow
where she made what she called a 'shameless pitch' to ask a newly
formed state-owned airline 'to buy Boeing aircraft.' It's not clear
whether there was a quid-pro-quo promise of the donation in exchange for
Mrs. Clinton's cheerleading.
Clinton
promised during the October 13, 2009 visit to Boeing Design Center
Moscow that the U.S. Export-Import Bank 'would welcome an application
for financing from Rosavia [the airline] to support its purchase of
Boeing Aircraft, and I hope that on a future visit I'll see a lot of new
Rosavia-Boeing planes when I land in Moscow.'
Boeing ultimately won a $3.7 billion Russian contract.
Then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has
spoken at corporate events for Boeing, often arguing in favor of Russian
and Chinese purchases from the jet aircraft manufacturer -- which, it
turns out, gave nearly $1 million to the Clinton Foundation
Clinton visited Boeing's Moscow design center in
Oct. 2009, making her 'shameless pitch' for a state-owned airline to
buy $3.7 billion worth of jets from the U.S. company
A
month later, Clinton proudly announced that Boeing would donate $2
million toward the construction of the U.S. pavilion at the 2010 World's
Fair in Beijing, China. The company had originally offered $1 million.
Subsequently, the Clinton Foundation got its own Boeing windfall.
The Washington Post reported
Monday night that David Almasi with the right-leaning National Center
for Public Policy Research challenged Boeing chairman and CEO W. James
McNerney about the apparent 'conflict of interest,' and wondered aloud
whether the company made itself vulnerable to prosecution for fraud.
'There
is at least one lobbyist in jail right this minute for giving public
employees travel and meals worth far, far less than $900,000,' Almasi
said.
'He claims
he didn't intend bribery; that what he did was "business as usual." But
he's in jail now nonetheless. ... It seems reckless and unnecessary,
even if it was not illegal.'
McNerney
responded that he was 'confident' Mrs. Clinton 'would have advocated for
Caterpillar's tractors or GE's turbines with equal fervor ... with or
without these few donations,' and that he was 'highly confident that we
followed the letter and the spirit of the law.'
'Commercial advocacy by people that lead our country is highly appreciated by those of us toiling in the vineyards,' he said.
Boeing did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.
A
political strategist in the state of Washington, where Boeing is
headquartered, had harsh words for both sides of the political
slap-fest.
'McNerney
sounded defensive,' he said, 'but Almasi was obnoxious and it came off
like one of those PETA stunts where they show up and ask Burger King to
go vegetarian.'
'What
was he expecting? Probably half of the Fortune 100 either makes these
kinds of donations, or wishes they could figure out how to make it pay
off.'
Ka-ching: Boeing cashed in with a $3.7 billion
contract to build 737-800 series aircraft like this Turkish Airlines jet
for the new Russian state-owned airline
David Almasi (L), with the National Center for
Public Policy Research, upbraided Boeing chairman and CEO W. James
McNerney (R) for exposing the company to conflict-of-interest
accusations
'That said,' the strategist, concluded, 'Boeing will get a black eye out of this, and so will Hillary Clinton. It seems like the longer she waits to decide whether or not to run, the more baggage there will be clustered around her feet.'
The National Center, which lodged the in-meeting object, defended its actions.
'Mr. McNerney's response is inadequate and should concern
shareholders,' the group's chairwoman Amy Ridenour said in a statement.
'He ducked the kernel of our question, which is why Boeing would make a
donation to the Clinton Foundation at a time of such a conflict of
interest. Even if the company's intentions were pure, such a move can
raise legal questions.'
She
pointed out that the Boeing donation to Mrs. Clinton's family
foundation came shortly after the Supreme Court decided the 'honest
services fraud' case that kept former Enron executive Jeffrey Skilling
in prison – but reduced his sentence by 10 years.
'Honest
services fraud was headlining the newspapers at the very time Boeing
apparently was considering a major gift to a foundation run by the
husband of the sitting secretary of state,' Ridenour said.
COMMENTS:
oops.
She screwed up! The right hand saw what the left hand was doing. She
is losing her touch without sweet Billy at her side. That's what
happened in Benghazi.
