Politics

Hillary Was TIGHT With Potential 2016 Donors While Sec Of State

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Rachel Stoltzfoos Staff Reporter
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Hillary Clinton consistently carved out time while secretary of state to hear from wealthy Democratic operatives and corporate donors loyal to her eventual presidential bid, newly obtained State Department calendars show.

Dozens of wealthy Clinton loyalists, CEOs, Democratic fundraisers, and corporate donors to the Clinton Foundation were just a phone call away from Hillary when she was at State, the calendars obtained by the Associated Press reveal.

“It shows Hillary Clinton marrying her political interests with the business and policy interests of powerful people,” Lawrence Jacobs, Center for the Study of Politics and Governance director at the University of Minnesota, told the AP. “These are the people you cultivate to lay the groundwork for running for president.”

The State Department recently turned over the calendars, after the AP spent two years working to obtain them under the Freedom of Information Act. “The calendars offer hour-by-hour depictions of Clinton’s hectic diplomatic schedule in Washington and her foreign tours crammed with meetings with dignitaries,” reported the AP. “Even so, she found time to meet CEOs, loyalists and donors.” (RELATED: Followers Of Mysterious Turkish Islamic Cleric Have Donated Heavily To Hillary Campaign)

She set aside time for General Electric CEO Jeff Immelt, former Morgan Stanley chairman John Mack, billionaire investors George Soros and Warren Buffet, American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten, influential Democratic fundraisers and others.

A select group obtained the chance to meet with Clinton in-person repeatedly, including Weingarten and the billionaire behind SlimFast, S. Daniel Abraham. Weingarten met with Clinton three times while she was secretary, and Abraham was slated to meet with her six times. Both have donated millions to the Clinton Foundation, Weingarten through his union and Abraham personally, and the union has endorsed Clinton for president. (RELATED: Three Politicians Call Out Clinton Camp For Falsely Claiming Their Endorsements)

The Clinton campaign did not address the frequent meetings while she was in office in its response to the AP, but spokesman Nick Merrill said she has turned over all of her work emails and that the campaign looks forward to the rest of them being released “so people can have a greater window into her work at the department.”

The Daily Caller is suing the State Department for a variety of records related to her time as Secretary of State.

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