On Thursday morning, CBS and NBC ignored the latest report involving alleged pay-for-play at the Clinton Foundation. According to the New York Times, a Russian company received permission to acquire one of America’s largest uranium mines while at the same time the company’s chairman donated $2.35 million to the Clinton charity.
ABC’s Good Morning America did provide a full report on the foundation’s newest dilemma but made sure to emphasize that Hillary’s campaign was “firing back” against the charges.
In her report, ABC’s Cecilia Vega highlighted the extent to which a Russian company received State Department approval for a controversial purchase of an American uranium mine at the same time its chairman was donating to the Clinton Foundation:
The State Department, with Clinton at the helm, approved the sale of one of America's largest uranium mines to Russia. At the same time, a foundation controlled by the mine’s chairman was making donations to the Clinton Foundation. We are talking about some big money here. Four separate donations totaling $2.35 million. And these reports say that the donations were not publically disclosed.
After she detailed the potential Quid pro quo regarding the Clintons, Vega made sure to stress how “a Clinton campaign spokesman does tell the Wall Street Journal this sale went through all the usual procedures and that Hillary Clinton did not intervene.”
The ABC reporter then played a clip of Hillary dancing around the subject of her foundation’s donations which prompted co-host George Stephanopoulos to proclaim that her campaign was “ready for this book.”
Vega beamed that “they sure are and they're firing back” and then proceeded to promote the Clinton team’s defense of the foundation’s donation practices:
You know, the national spokesman sent out a memo and we got hold of that memo. And it says “it's sad but not surprising that the Clintons' philanthropic work has become the subject of false right-wing attacks.” They’re calling this a political hit job, saying that the author, Peter Schweizer, coordinated with Republicans.
While CBS and NBC couldn’t be bothered to cover the latest problem engulfing the Clinton Foundation, CBS This Morning did find time to mention that the Benghazi select committee won’t release their final report on the 2012 terrorist attack until 2016 and the subsequent reaction from Team Hillary:
Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign is complaining this morning that a congressional probe of the Benghazi attack is trying to hurt her candidacy. The U.S. Ambassador to Libya was among those killed in that incident. It happened in 2012 when Clinton was Secretary of State. The chairman of the special House committee says its final report may not come out until a few months before the election. He blames the Obama administration for not producing evidence.
In addition to CBS and NBC providing zero coverage to the controversy surrounding a Russian company’s acquisition of an American uranium mine, all three networks continue to ignore new details concerning a top Clinton donor’s potential violation of U.S. sanctions against Iran.
According to Newsweek, the number one donor to the Clinton Foundation “may be in breach of US sanctions” on Iran due to his business dealings with the authoritarian regime in his capacity as the billionaire head of a Ukrainian pipe-making business.
See relevant transcript below.
ABC’s Good Morning America
April 23, 2015
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: We’re going to turn now to new questions for Hillary Clinton this morning. New reports dig into that upcoming book about foreign donations to the Clinton Foundation, tying speech fees and foundation donations to a deal that enriched the donors and gave control of a uranium production company to the Russian government. Our [sic] reporter Cecilia Vega is here with the details. Good morning Cecilia.
CECILIA VEGA: George, good morning to you. This book not even out yet and it already has Hillary Clinton on the defensive. These allegations are just as she's kicking off her run for the White House. Now reports out overnight say the State Department, with Clinton at the helm, approved the sale of one of America's largest uranium mines to Russia.
At the same time, a foundation controlled by the mine’s chairman was making donations to the Clinton Foundation. We are talking about some big money here. Four separate donations totaling $2.35 million. And these reports say that the donations were not publically disclosed. Now a Clinton campaign spokesman does tell the Wall Street Journal this sale went through all the usual procedures and that Hillary Clinton did not intervene.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Yeah, they quote the assistant secretary who worked on it saying she never intervened in these matters. You did ask Secretary Clinton about this up in New Hampshire earlier this week. Let's take a look at what she said.
HILLARY CLINTON: We'll be subjected to all kinds of distraction and attacks and I'm ready for that. I know that that comes, unfortunately, with the territory.
STEPHANOPOULOS: The whole campaign’s ready for this book.
VEGA: Oh, they sure are and they're firing back. You know, the national spokesman sent out a memo and we got hold of that memo. And it says “it's sad but not surprising that the Clintons' philanthropic work has become the subject of false right-wing attacks.” They’re calling this a political hit job, saying that the author, Peter Schweizer, coordinated with Republicans. We are hearing now though George that this author says that he’s also going to look into Jeb Bush's finances.
