Here's the latest installments of "Hillary's Money Woes."1) First off, there's Barack Obama's call for Hillary to come clean on her income taxes which got a surprisingly candid treatment from ABC News:
"I've released my tax returns," Obama said today on his campaign plane, noting that Presidential candidates have a duty to be transparent and accountable. He said, "The American people deserve to know where you get your income from."
Back when Bill Clinton was an office-holder, Hillary Clinton's business dealings were often a source of controversy. Remember the Whitewater land deal and all the scrutiny given to her client list at the Rose Law Firm?
Now that she is running for President,. Bill Clinton's finances are attracting attention. He has cashed in since leaving the Oval Office - raking in a small fortune in speaking fees, as well as consulting for private clients and foreign governments. Fundraising for his Presidential library has also come under scrutiny. In one recent controversy, he reportedly consulted with businessmen connected with the repressive government of Khazakstan. Some have criticized him for selling his credibility and, in the process, undercutting US foreign policy and his wife's public pronouncements.
Should Hillary Clinton use the former President's windfall to fund her own bid for the Presidency, it would inevitably become a campaign issue. And, for her, there's another sensitivity. Given that she is making the case that she is an independent career woman, dipping into a rich husband's assets might undercut that image. Nonetheless the Clintons have resisted frequent calls to open the library's books or release their income tax returns...
2) Secondly, here's Jerry Seper in today's Washington Times reminding readers that nearly 20% of the elite big-money fund raisers for Senator Clinton's current presidential campaign (known affectionately as the "HillRaisers") have ties to the 1990's fund raising scandals of her husband's tenure. Remember the Lincoln Bedroom sleepovers and other perks?
