by WorldTribune Staff, August 10, 2016

In newly-obtained emails, Hillary Clinton’s top aides at the State Department discussed “taking care” of a Lebanese-Nigerian billionaire who was a top donor to the Clinton Foundation.

On Aug. 9, Judicial Watch released 296 pages of State Department records, of which 44 email exchanges were not previously turned over to the State Department, which “reveal that in April 2009 controversial Clinton Foundation official Doug Band pushed for a job for an associate. In the email Band tells Hillary Clinton’s former aides at the State Department Cheryl Mills and Huma Abedin that it is ‘important to take care of [Redacted].’ Band is reassured by Abedin that ‘personnel has been sending him options.’ ”

Band was co-founder of Teneo Strategy with Bill Clinton and a top official of the Clinton Foundation, including its Clinton Global Initiative.

Included in the documents obtained by Judicial Watch is a 2009 email in which Band directs Abedin and Mills to put Lebanese-Nigerian billionaire and Clinton Foundation donor Gilbert Chagoury in touch with the State Department’s ‘substance person’ on Lebanon. Stating that Chagoury is ‘key guy there [Lebanon] and to us,’ Band urges Abedin to contact Amb. Jeffrey Feltman on behalf of Chagoury.

Chagoury is a close friend of former President Bill Clinton and a top donor to the Clinton Foundation. He has appeared near the top of the Foundation’s donor list as a $1 million to $5 million contributor, according to foundation documents. He also pledged $1 billion to the Clinton Global Initiative.

According to a 2010 investigation by PBS Frontline, Chagoury was convicted in Switzerland in 2000 for laundering money from Nigeria, but agreed to a plea deal and repaid $66 million to the Nigerian government.

“These records further appear to contradict statements by Hillary Clinton that, ‘as far as she knew,’ all of her government emails were turned over to the State Department,” Judicial Watch said in releasing the emails and documents.

“Clinton’s top aides’ favors for and interactions with the Clinton Foundation seem in violation of the ethics agreements that Hillary Clinton agreed to in order to be appointed and confirmed as Secretary of State.”

In a Jan. 5, 2009 letter to State Department Designated Agency Ethics Official James H. Thessin, Secretary of State-designate Hillary Clinton wrote:

“For the duration of my appointment as Secretary if I am confirmed, I will not participate personally and substantially in any particular matter involving specific parties in which The William J. Clinton Foundation (or the Clinton Global Initiative) is a party or represents a party….”

In advance of Hillary Clinton’s visit to Asia, Stephen Roach, chairman of Morgan Stanley Asia, on Feb. 11, 2009, sent her a copy of his upcoming testimony before Congress in which he would condemn any U.S. efforts to criticize Chinese monetary policy or enact trade barriers. Days later, Hillary asked Abedin to approach Roach about ‘connecting’ with her while she was in Beijing: “I forwarded you my email to him about connecting in Beijing. Can he come to the embassy or other event?”

Morgan Stanley is a major and long-time financial supporter of the Clintons.

The emails also reveal that Abedin left then-Secretary Clinton’s daily schedule in an unlocked hotel room. An email on April 18, 2009, during a conference in Trinidad and Tobago, from aide Melissa J. Lan to Huma Abedin asks for Clinton’s ‘day book binders.’ Abedin responded: “Yes. It’s on the bed in my room. U can take it. My door is open. I’m in the lobby.Thx.”

The emails also revealed the annoyance of another Clinton aide that the schedule was sent to an authorized State Department email address and not to an “unsecured non-state.gov account.”

The emails also show that Hillary Clinton relied on someone named “Justin” (presumably Justin Cooper, a Bill Clinton and Clinton Foundation employee), to set up her cell phone voicemail, rather than having State Department personnel handle it. This was in a Feb. 11, 2009, email from Clinton aide Lauren Jiloty to Clinton, using Clinton’s hdr22@clintonmail.com address.