“Then I’m going to give them to the Clinton Foundation and, specifically, me and Bill.”

What a grand week for Hillary Clinton!

After all, isn’t it said that “any publicity is good publicity”?

Hillary has certain earned her publicity this week.

The phrase “pay to play” was brought back to the forefront this week when AP broke the story — after three years of legal wrangling against the US State Department.

From Yahoo.com via AP:

Many donors to Clinton Foundation met with her at State

WASHINGTON (AP) — More than half the people outside the government who met with Hillary Clinton while she was secretary of state gave money — either personally or through companies or groups — to the Clinton Foundation. It’s an extraordinary proportion indicating her possible ethics challenges if elected president.

At least 85 of 154 people from private interests who met or had phone conversations scheduled with Clinton while she led the State Department donated to her family charity or pledged commitments to its international programs, according to a review of State Department calendars released so far to The Associated Press. Combined, the 85 donors contributed as much as $156 million. At least 40 donated more than $100,000 each, and 20 gave more than $1 million.

Donors who were granted time with Clinton included an internationally known economist who asked for her help as the Bangladesh government pressured him to resign from a nonprofit bank he ran; a Wall Street executive who sought Clinton’s help with a visa problem; and Estee Lauder executives who were listed as meeting with Clinton while her department worked with the firm’s corporate charity to counter gender-based violence in South Africa.

And that is the real story; let it sink in and percolate about in your brain pan:

Over 50% of the persons who met Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State ended up donating to the Clinton Foundation.  Perhaps the better portrayal is this: “donating.”  Air quotes.

Combined, the 85 donors contributed as much as $156 million. At least 40 donated more than $100,000 each, and 20 gave more than $1 million.

The Clinton Foundation has already “taken in” — air quotes — more than $2 billion dollars in funding since its creation in 2000.  In that time, there have been roughly 6,000 “donors” — air quotes — to the foundation.

“There’s a lot of potential conflicts and a lot of potential problems,” said Douglas White, an expert on nonprofits who previously directed Columbia University’s graduate fundraising management program. “The point is, she can’t just walk away from these 6,000 donors.”

This is Orwellian Newspeak for “these people paid cash and they expect something in return.”  You know.  Pay to play.  And they expect some play for their pay.

Here’s a little clincher buried deep in the story.  Read it and interpret it.  I can interpret it no other way than one.

Former senior White House ethics officials said a Clinton administration would have to take careful steps to ensure that past foundation donors would not have the same access as she allowed at the State Department.

What does that say to you?  To me it screams: she did it.  She took money for access to her in her role as Secretary of State.  Corruption.  No other word for it.

Some of Clinton’s most influential visitors donated millions to the Clinton Foundation and to her and her husband’s political coffers.

Now it’s personal money — not just to the foundation, but to the Clintons themselves.

Please read the story in full — a story that took the AP a full three years to acquire because of legal obstacles placed in its way by the State Department.  You know: the same State Department from which Hillary was Secretary.  From the NationalReview.com:

Clinton State Department Stonewalled AP for Three Years

by NRO Staff

It was a long wait. Today’s blockbuster report from the Associated Press about Hillary Clinton’s meetings with Clinton Foundation donors during her time as Secretary of State contained the following nugget: “The AP sought Clinton’s calendar and schedules three years ago, but delays led the AP to sue the State Department last year in federal court for those materials and other records.” Three years ago. The long wait was in keeping with a practice of slow-walking such requests for information.

As in: the State Department did its level best to block, stall and obfuscate the acquisition of the truth about Hillary Rodham Clinton by the Associated Press.

Let’s see; this past week’s Hillary publicity included:

• Hillary has needed help up steps;
• Hillary lies and blames the black guy;
• Hillary lies again — 15,000 more of her emails are found;
• Hillary’s health is great — another lie;
• Hillary engaged in “pay to play” as Secretary of State;
• Hillary’s State Department delayed and blocked AP for her

Ah yes.  What a wonderful, engaging and revelatory week it was for Hillary Rodham Clinton.

BZ