The damning 12-page memo released by hacker group WikiLeaks on Wednesday put the controversial Clinton Foundation and the Clintons themselves in a heap of trouble. The memo outlined how Bill Clinton confidant Doug Band, and his “global strategy” company Teneo (for which Bill Clinton was an official “advisor”), helped to procure at least $50 million for the former president in speaking fees and other such opportunities from those involved with the foundation. This scheme was even nicknamed “Bill Clinton, Inc.”
As made clear in the November 16 memo, it was apparently Band’s mission to not only gain funds for the Clinton Foundation, but to advance Mr. Clinton’s “personal” wealth, which he accomplished with direct ties to the former president’s namesake “charity.” As noted by The Washington Post, Band went into painstaking detail about the scheme: The so-called “circle of enrichment” in which he raised funds for the shady foundation from top-tier corporations, such as Dow Chemical and Coca-Cola, were also clients of Teneo. The Clinton aide would then press those same donors for “personal income” for the former president, via speeches and other ventures.
As Daily Wire Ben Shapiro noted in a Thursday column, such companies likely did not do this out of the goodness of their hearts, but in exchange for access, or worse.
In other words, the memo confirmed that the Clinton Foundation–which only spends a reported six percent of its income on actual charity–is nothing more than a personal enrichment slush fund for the Clintons.
On Thursday, the crew on MSNBC’s Morning Joe took the Clintons to task, calling out their brazen, “sleazy” and “gross” corruption.
“The Washington Post article is absolutely fascinating on ‘Bill Clinton Inc.,'” said co-host Joe Scarborough, at the top of the broadcast. “$66 million to him personally and they’re bragging! They’re bragging at the memo that they can shake down the same corporations that they’re taking donation money for, that they can shake them down for $66 million for ‘Bill Clinton Inc.'”
Continuing to slam the seemingly second-nature Clinton corruption, the co-host added: “And they’re actually bragging about being able to shake down foundation clients for Bill Clinton money. Doug Band is bragging about it. And it’s not like Doug Band dreamed this up on his own, he was doing his boss’s bidding,” said Scarborough.
“This is not good,” said Republican panelist Nicolle Wallace, when asked by Scarborough, who was clearly bothered, about her thoughts on the matter.
Scarborough pushed further: “Not good?” he asked, “Is that what they’d say if the Bushes did this?”
“Listen, the Bushes would never do this,” Wallace succinctly replied.
“This basically confirms everything [Clinton source] Ron Fournier has been saying for a year now: ‘Follow the money,'” added Scarborough.
“And by the way… using relief work in Haiti?” he stated, clearly disgusted. “‘Hey can you help those suffering in Haiti? It’s really important. And thanks, listen, could you also give Bill Clinton $500,000 to give a speech in your corporate luxury box?'”
“Yuck,” chimed in co-host Mika Brzezinski, who would go on to bash the Clinton shenanigans as “sleazy” and “gross.”
The morning show continued to bash the Clintons in a later segment, highlighting media bias surrounding the issue: