Pay to Play

Hillary Clinton grants big favors to big donors. This is dangerous and a threat to the security of the United States.

While Hillary was Secretary of State, Rajiv Fernando was appointed to the International Security Advisory Board (ISAB).

The State department’s website says that board members are national security experts with scientific, military, diplomatic, and political backgrounds.

Rajiv Fernando is not listed on the state.gov website as a former member, even though he was a former member.

http://www.state.gov/t/avc/isab/c27670.htm

The state.gov website documents a meeting that Rajiv Fernando participated in and proves that he was a former member. Here is the text of that page:

Meeting of the International Security Advisory Board

 Washington, DC

 July 12, 2011

Today, the International Security Advisory Board (ISAB) met with Under Secretary Bill Burns, Under Secretary Ellen Tauscher, Special Advisor Robert Einhorn, Assistant Secretary Rose Gottemoeller, Assistant Secretary Andrew Shapiro and Acting Assistant Secretary Vann Van Diepen. The Board provides independent insight and advice on scientific, technical, and policy aspects of arms control, disarmament, proliferation, international security, and related aspects of public diplomacy. The ISAB provides its recommendations directly to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and the Department of State.

 The meeting marked the first gathering of ISAB members appointed by Secretary Clinton:

• Dr. Graham Allison, Director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and Douglas Dillon Professor of Government at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government;

• Dr. Michael Anastasio, former Director of Los Alamos National Laboratory and Livermore National Laboratory;

• Dr. Bruce Blair, President of the World Security Institute and Co-founder of Global Zero;

• Hon. Douglas Bereuter, former Republican Congressman from Nebraska;

• Mr. Joseph Cirincione, President of Ploughshares Fund;

• Mr. Charles B. Curtis, Senior Advisor to the Center for Strategic and International Studies and President Emeritus of the Nuclear Threat Initiative;

• Hon. Robert Terry Everett, former Republican Congressman from Alabama;

• Mr. Rajiv “Raj” Fernando, CEO and founder of Chopper Trading;

• Ambassador Robert Gallucci, President of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation;

• Ambassador James Goodby, former career minister in the Senior Foreign Service;

• Dr. Robert E. Hunter, Director of the Center for Transatlantic Security Studies at the National Defense University;

• Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson, President of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute;

• Dr. Raymond Jeanloz, Senior Fellow in the Miller Institute for Basic Research in Science and Professor of Earth and Planetary Science and Astronomy at the University of California, Berkeley;

• Dr. David A. Kay, former head of the Iraq Survey Group and UN Chief Weapons Inspector;

• General Montgomery C. Meigs, USA (Ret.), President and CEO of Business Executives for National Security;

• Rep. Harold P. Naughton Jr., member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives;

• Dr. William Perry, the Michael and Barbara Berberian Professor (emeritus) at Stanford University and former U.S. Secretary of Defense;

• Lt. General Brent Scowcroft, USAF (Ret.), President of The Scowcroft Group Inc. and former National Security Advisor to Presidents Gerald Ford and George H. W. Bush;

• Mr. Walter Slocombe, Senior Counsel in the law firm of Caplin & Drysdale, Chartered and former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy;

• Dr. James A. Tegnelia, President and Owner of DBE Consulting LLC and former Director of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency;

• Mr. William H. Tobey, Senior Fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government;

• Dr. Ellen D. Williams, Chief Scientist for BP p.l.c. and former Distinguished Professor in the Institute of Physical Science and Technology and the Department of Physics at the University of Maryland;

• Dr. Joan B. Woodard, Presiding Director, Member of Nominating & Governance Committee and Member of Compensation & Human Resources Committee for PNM Resources Inc. and former Executive Vice President and Deputy Laboratories Director for Nuclear Weapons at Sandia National Laboratories.

The ISAB is sponsored and overseen by the Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security, Ellen Tauscher. Dr. William Perry will serve as Chairman and Charles B. Curtis will serve as Vice Chairman. Photos taken at the meeting can be found here.

The photo of the meeting clearly shows Rajiv Fernando seated at the far left.

As you look over the list of members, it is obvious that most of them have excellent resumes and were qualified to serve on the board.

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2011/07/168130.htm

Raj Fernando is listed as CEO and founder of Chopper Trading. No other qualifications are listed next to his name. He was and continues to be a big donor to Democrats.

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, he has donated $650,000 to Democratic candidates and organizations since 2003. He donated over 100,000 to the Clinton Foundation before his appointment. He donated another $30,000 to a political advocacy group, Women Count, helping Hillary Clinton retire her lingering 2008 campaign debts. He was a pledged Clinton delegate at the 2008 Democratic convention.

Cheryl Mills added his name to the list of nominees that was submitted to Secretary Clinton. He was appointed by Ellen Tauscher, Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs.

Cheryl Mills served as deputy White House Counsel for President Bill Clinton and defended him during his 1999 impeachment trial. She served as Senior Adviser and Counsel for Hillary Rodham Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign, and is considered a member of Hillary Clinton's group of core advisers. She served as Counselor and Chief of Staff to Hillary Clinton during her whole tenure as United States Secretary of State.

After Fernando was appointed, ABC’s Matthew Mosk asked the State Department for more information about his qualifications. The entire story is documented on State Department emails.

On May 8, 2009, Rajiv Fernando sent an email to Huma Abedin. He wrote: “In a nutshell, I would like to get on the International Security Advisory Board. Everybody on that board is a top level defense expert, yet, I feel like I can add a lot to the group. I have two professors from Northwestern and one from Univ. of Chicago who are international security experts and are getting me up to speed on the academics behind the field.”

On September 11, 2009 he sent another email to Huma Abedin. He wrote: “Jay Dunn and Patrick have told me that they will have their list and Hillary will have hers and at the end of the day, as long as they don’t have an opposition to any of Hillary’s people, they should get in.” Further down in the email, he wrote “I know I will be able to hold my own and be a valued contributor to this board. I promise I will make the Secretary look good.”

Several other emails document communication between Fernando and State employees, most of them dealing with the progress being made in the nomination process.

On March 9, 2011, Rajiv Fernando accepted a position on the ISAB, offered by Under Secretary Tauscher. On July 1, 2011, he was granted interim clearance for access to classified information at the Top Secret level. On July 12, 2011, he attended his first meeting.

On August 15, 2011, Matthew Mosk from ABC News called Richard Hartman, executive director of the International Security Advisory Board (ISAB). Mosk asked what led to Raj Fernando being appointed to the Secretary’s ISAB. Hartman referred Mosk to press aide Jamie Mannina.

This was a simple request, but it caused a panic within the State Department.  

On August 15, 2011, 9:48PM, Wade Boese, Under Secretary chief of staff, emailed Jamie Mannina. He wrote: “I will discuss with Chip tomorrow. The true answer is simply that S staff (Cheryl Mills) added him. The Boards’s membership preceded me. Raj was not on the list sent to S; he was added at their insistence.”

On August 16, 2011, Hartman emailed Rose Gottemoeller. He wrote: “Jamie is rightly concerned that we must protect the Secretary’s and Under Secretary’s name, as well as the integrity of the Board. I will be meeting with Wade Boese this morning to bring him up to speed. U/S Tauscher is meeting on a different topic later today with Cheryl Mills, who added Mr. Fernando’s name to the list of ISAB nominees when it went to S. and Secretary Clinton.”

On August 16, 2011, Matthew Mosk emailed Jamie Mannina, asking for background information on Rajiv Fernando. He wrote: “The only thing put out on him is that he is CEO of Chicago trading firm, which doesn’t exactly explain how he fits into a board of renowned experts on military, diplomatic, and political matters.”

The State department was scrambling, trying to figure out what to do about Matthew Mosk’s request.

On August 16, 2011, Wade Boese sent an email to Mannina and Hartman. He wrote “I’ve alerted Heather Samuelson, who said she will be working on getting some points. U/S Tauscher will also note issue with Cheryl Mills this afternoon.”

On August 16, 2011, Richard Hartman wrote in an email: “Cheryl Mills asked that Jamie (Mannina) stall for 24 hrs.” Hartman said Mosk asked for Harold Naughton’s qualifications too and he said Naughton’s case is pretty easy to defend.

On August 16, 2011, Mannina did stall. She emailed Mosk and wrote: “Crashing this morning. What’s the timing of your piece? Not knowing much on it when you called, but now after focusing on it a little - I will need time to work on it.”

On August 17, 2011 Mannina emailed Wade Boese. She wrote: ”Matthew (Mosk) called me after I was unresponsive to his morning emails.”

On August 17, 2011, the stalling and scrambling to explain Fernando’s appointment was no longer necessary. Fernando resigned from the ISAB. He sent a letter of resignation to Secretary Hillary Clinton, dated August 17, 2011.

At the 2012 Democratic Convention, ABC news tried to ask Raj Fernando a few questions. He refused to answer any questions and ABC was ordered by security to stop asking questions, leave the hotel or face arrest.

On September 4, 2012, Matthew Mosk emailed Katherine Starr at the State Department press office. He wrote: “Hello Kate, About a year ago, I spoke with someone at the State Department about Raj Fernando. I had inquired about his qualifications to serve on the International Security Advisory Board, and I had sought a copy of his resume. No resume was provided, and I was given no information about his qualifications. Shortly after my inquiry, he stepped down from the board. We have since been made aware that he made $30,000 donations to the political group Women Count that has helped Sec. Clinton retire her campaign debt, and a significant contribution to the Clinton Foundation prior to receiving his seat on the board. We also see that he has raised more than $500,000 for President Obama’s reelection and donated more than $500,000 to Democratic candidates and PACS.”

Mosk again asked for Fernando’s qualifications.

The State Department’s response was as follows:

“As President and CEO of Chopper Trading, Mr. Fernando brought a unique perspective to ISAB. He has years of experience in the private sector in implementing sophisticated risk management tools, information technology and international finance.”

One of Secretary Clinton’s own senior aides didn’t buy that explanation. On September 4, 2012, Phillippe Reines emailed senior advisor Heather Samualson, saying “Not the most compelling response I’ve ever seen since it’s such a dense topic the board revolves around. Couldn’t he have landed a spot on the President’s Physical Fitness Council?"  

For comparison, here is the resume the State Department provided to Matthew Mosk for Harold Naughton Jr.

“Rep. Naughton has been in the Mass. House of Representatives since 1995. He is Chairman of the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security and previously served on the Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs. He is a U.S. Army veteran of the Iraq War and continues to serve in the U.S. Army Reserves JAG Corps. His BA is in Political Science and JD includes study at Notre Dame Law School in England on the topics of international Human Rights, European Law and Soviet Law. He has been a commentator on Fox and Friends morning TV show regarding the Afghanistan War and has appeared on the TODAY show and other media in regard to national security and veterans issues.”

Here is what happened:

Rajiv Fernando donated money to the Clinton Foundation and Hillary Clinton. He helped Hillary erase her campaign debt.

He asked Huma Abedin for a position on the International Security Advisory Board.

He clearly wasn’t qualified, but Cheryl Mills added him to the list of possible appointees anyway. Either she did so with the approval of Secretary Clinton or it was common practice to grant donor’s wishes as directed by Secretary Clinton. There is no way that State Department officials would nominate and appoint an unqualified person on their own. They would jeopardize their careers if they did so. 

He was appointed to the board and received top security clearance. He attended one meeting.

He resigned after ABC news requested his resume and qualifications to serve on the board.

It is a fact that he was not qualified for the position because the State Department could not provide his qualifications. They did provide the qualifications for another board member, Harold Naughton, as requested by ABC news.

There are some who say Raj Fernando was indeed qualified. If that were true, it would have been very simple for the State Department to just send the resume to Matthew Mosk. They couldn’t do it. They didn’t have any proof that he was qualified. It became a problem. It became a headache. They had to scramble, trying to figure out what to do. And then, at the exact time they were scrambling, Fernando resigned.

Hillary Clinton grants big favors to big donors. This is dangerous and a threat to the security of the United States.

In August 2011, Secretary Clinton’s staff was trying to protect her name. They were trying to justify the appointment of a big money donor who was not qualified to serve on the Secretary’s International Security Advisory Board.

Here are the international events of August 2011:

Crackdown Continues in Syria (Aug. 1): For the second day in a row, the uprising against President Assad's government is met with bombing attacks by Syrian forces in the west-central city, Hama. (Aug. 3): Despite global condemnation, the Syrian government orders its military to march into Hama after three days of bombing. Tanks and soldiers seize the central square. Even Russia, a Syrian ally, gives its support to possible Security Council Action against Syria. (Aug. 4): Syrian military kill more than 100 people in 24 hours in Hama, bringing the civilian casualties to more than 200 since the bombing began. (Aug. 7): Still ignoring international condemnation, the military in Syria initiate another attack, this time in the eastern city of Deir al-Zour. Thousands of people flee and dozens are killed as tanks roar into the city. Hama and Deir al-Zour have been the setting for mass protests in recent weeks and have been the most defiant in the uprising. (Aug. 15):The Syrian government sends navy vessels along with tanks and soldiers to the port city of Latakia. At least 25 people are killed, including three children. The attack sparks renewed outrage, partly because they occur during Ramadan, the Muslim holy month. (Aug. 18): Britain, France, and Germany release a joint statement stating that President Assad has lost legitimacy as a leader and that he must step down. For the first time, President Obama calls for Assad to leave office. Obama also announces new sanctions against Syria including freezing all Syrian assets. (Aug. 22): President Assad says American and European calls for him to step down are "meaningless" and suggests that the military in Syria will continue its crackdown. (Aug. 26): Inspired by the fall of Col. Muammar Qaddafi in Libya, thousands of protestors take to the streets in Syria, demanding that President Assad leave. Security forces continue to fight the protestors, including severely beating Ali Farzat, Syria's best-known political cartoonist. The attack on him comes just days after Farzat published a cartoon showing President Assad hitching a ride out of town with Qaddafi.

Mubarak Trial Begins (Aug. 3): Tens of millions watch live on television as an ailing Hosni Mubarak is rolled into the courtroom on a hospital bed for the beginning of his trial. Mubarak, the former Egyptian president, faces charges of corruption and complicity in the killing of protesters. Mubarak was ousted earlier this year after an 18-day revolution in Egypt.

American Forces Experience Deadliest Day in Afghan War (Aug. 6): Thirty U.S. armed servicemen, including 22 members of the Navy SEALs, are killed in Afghanistan when insurgents shoot down their Chinook helicopter. The casualties make the day the deadliest for U.S. forces in the decade-long war. Most of the 22 Navy SEALS killed are members of Seal Team Six, the unit responsible for finding and killing Osama bin Laden on May 2, 2011. (Aug. 11): The Pentagon releases the names of the servicemen that died on August 6 and reports that none of the men killed were involved in the Osama bin Laden mission back in May.

Rebel Forces Advance in Libya (Aug. 18): Rebels opposing Col. Muammar Qaddafi seize Zawiyah and gain control of the city's oil refinery. Zawiyah, a port city just 31 miles west of Tripoli, is a key victory. (Aug. 21): Rebel forces advance into Tripoli as foreigners try to flee the city. With the rebels meeting little resistance from loyalists, residents in Tripoli take to the streets to celebrate the end of Qaddafi's 42 years in power.(Aug. 23): Rebels seize Qaddafi's compound. Qaddafi and his family flee and remain at large. In a radio broadcast from an undisclosed location, Qaddafi vows to continue the fight. Rebels respond by placing a $2 million bounty on his head. (Aug. 24): More than 30 foreign journalists who had been held hostage in Tripoli's Rixos hotel by loyalists since the rebels invaded the city are freed, yet another sign that Qaddafi's rule is coming to an end. (Aug. 26): Rebels begin transferring their administration from Benghazi to Tripoli, Libya's capital. (Aug. 27): Five mass executions carried out by Qaddafi loyalists during his final hours in power are uncovered. (Aug. 29): Qaddafi's whereabouts remain unknown, but three of his children and his second wife flee to Algeria.