The nexus among private companies, Hillary Clinton’s State Department and the Clinton family foundations is closer and more complex than even Donald Trump has claimed so far.

The existence of a shadowy cadre of agents coordinating the influence-peddling of the Clinton Machine has been revealed by an important article in USA Today . Kevin McCoy writes:

While it is widely known that some companies and foreign governments gave money to the foundations, perhaps in an effort to gain favor, one of the key parts of the puzzle hasn’t been reported: At least a dozen of those same companies lobbied the State Department, using lobbyists who doubled as major Clinton campaign fundraisers. Those companies gave as much as $16 million to the Clinton charities. At least four of the lobbyists they hired are “Hillblazers,” the Clinton campaign’s name for supporters who have raised $100,000 or more for her current White House race. Two of the four also raised funds for Clinton’s unsuccessful 2008 presidential bid.

So, the system is: give money to a tax-exempt entity belonging to the Clinton Machine. In doing so, they are paired with an agent who simultaneously operates on behalf of another entity of the Clinton Machine, the campaign. In yet a third capacity, the same agent acts as lobbyist (for substantial amounts of compensation), accessing and influencing the State Department, which was run by Hillary Clinton but, formally speaking, was an entity that was the property of the American people.

Only a fool would believe that these roles are kept separate as they work on behalf of all these aspects of the Machine. Or that the companies involved (McCoy names names) did not understand the constellation of organizations they were buying with their donations and lobbying operations.