Clinton Foundation: So hey, turns out we took in $26.4 million more than we disclosed

One of the curiosities I've had about the Clinton Foundation slush fund is how Hillary just wantonly ignored the agreement she'd made with the White House to disclose the donations they were getting while she was Secretary of State. Not that it surprises me she would welch on the agreement. Not at all. That's classic Hillary. But usually they find some sort of clever way to break their word while being able to claim they kept it. That's the Clinton way. I was a little surprised at the idea that she would have just hidden the donations and basically said "screw you" to the White House in the process.

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To get around the disclosure obligation, one of the Clintons had to show up and give a speech

Now it makes sense. The way the Clinton Foundation got around the disclosure obligation was to pretend the donations were something else. They categorized $26.4 million as "revenue" that were actually speaking fees for Bill, Hillary and Chelsea. So in other words, to get around the disclosure obligation, one of the Clintons had to show up and give a speech, thus allowing them to dress up the donation as a payment for services rendered, and thus not covered under the disclosure deal. Now that sounds like the Clintons:

According to the new information, the Clintons have delivered 97 speeches to benefit the charity since 2002. Colleges and universities sponsored more than two dozen of these speeches, along with U.S. and overseas corporations and at least one foreign government, Thailand. The payments were disclosed late Thursday on the organization’s Web site, with speech payments listed in ranges rather than specific amounts. In total, the payments ranged between $12 million and $26.4 million. The paid appearances included speeches by former president Bill Clinton to the Ni­ger­ian ThisDay newspaper group for at least $500,000 and to the Beijing Huaduo Enterprise Consulting Company Ltd., an investment holding company that specializes in the natural gas market, for at least $250,000. Citibank paid at least $250,000 for a speech by Hillary Rodham Clinton. The disclosures underscore how much the Clintons have leveraged their star power to draw more money not just for their personal enrichment but also for the benefit of their philanthropic work.

Just in case you were wondering why someone would really value a Hillary Clinton speech as worth paying $250,000 for, or a Bill Clinton speech at $500,000 - they wouldn't. This is a bribe. Companies and organizations were buying the favor of the Clintons during the time Hillary was Secretary of State, and since she's been out of office they've been buying the future favor of the Clintons in the event she becomes president. They understand how the Clintons operate. You want favorable treatment? You pay. We'll dress it up as a business transaction, but you better know what's really going on here. And the Clinton Foundation didn't disclose any of this because they set it up intentionally so they wouldn't have to. That is how they operate. That is how they've always operated. And if this nation is mind-bogglingly foolish enought to make Hillary president, that is how they will operate their administration - just as they did when Bill was running the show. Which, by the way, he would in a Hillary administration too - since they both know she doesn't have the chops to do it.