A Polish daily has reported that Russian funds might have an influence on the US presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton, wife of former president Bill, who recently commented on the “Putin-like dictatorship” in Poland.

“Podesta Group – a lobbying firm, co-created by the head of the Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, John Podesta and his brother Tony, lobbies for the Russian Sberbank. This cooperation began in April this year. The fact that the bank, which has associations with the Russian intelligence seeks support from lobbyists with ties to the Democratic party, can attest to the fact that the Kremlin is betting on Clinton winning the US presidential election,” Poland’s Gazeta Polska wrote on Thursday.

In March, Politico had written that Podesta Group is lobbying on behalf of Sberbank to negotiate sanctions between the US and Russia which were imposed following the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.

“The Podesta Group's Tony Podesta, Stephen Rademaker (former assistant secretary of state) and David Adams (former assistant secretary of state for legislative affairs) registered to lobby for the US subsidiary of Russian state-held Sberbank on the scope of US sanctions against Russia for its role in the Ukraine conflict and whether relief is possible,” Politico wrote.

Carried away

Talking to reporters after the ceremony at Monte Cassino in Italy earlier this week, Polish President Duda was asked to comment on former US President Bill Clinton’s remarks in which be expressed the view that “Poland and Hungary – two countries that would not be free but for the United States and the long Cold War – have now decided this democracy is too much trouble”.

Clinton added: “They [Poland and Hungary] want Putin-like dictatorships”.

President Duda said that as a former president, Bill Clinton should be well-versed in current developments, adding that “he has probably let himself be carried away by emotions surrounding his wife’s election campaign”.