Days before vote, FBI releases Bill Clinton closed case files

The FBI has unexpectedly released documents concerning ex-president Bill Clinton's pardon of the husband of a wealthy Democratic donor, in a surprise move just days before the election in which his wife is seeking to become America's first female president.

The release of the heavily redacted 129-page report over the pardon of trader Marc Rich - an investigation that closed in 2005 without charges -- triggered questions from Democrats already angered by the FBI's probe into hundreds of thousands of newly uncovered emails possibly linked to Hillary Clinton.

While the Rich documents were published online Monday, they received little notice until they were posted on Tuesday on a Twitter account for the Federal Bureau of Investigation's division managing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests that had had no posts since a year ago, except for a small handful released simultaneously on Sunday.

"Absent a FOIA litigation deadline, this is odd," said Hillary Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon.

"Will FBI be posting docs on Trump's housing discrimination in '70s?" he added, referring to Clinton's Republican rival Donald Trump, a billionaire real estate magnate.

The FBI said the documents were posted shortly after they were processed, as with FOIA materials requested three or more times.

"Per the standard procedure for FOIA, these materials became available for release and were posted automatically and electronically to the FBI's public reading room in accordance with the law and established procedures," the statement said.

The FBI indicated that this was only a "preliminary" release that could therefore be followed by more.

Rich was indicted on federal charges of tax evasion in the United States. He was a fugitive from the Department of Justice -- at a time one of the FBI's most wanted -- living in exile in Switzerland at the time of his indictment. He died there in 2013.

In a controversial move, Bill Clinton pardoned him on his last day in office on January 20, 2001. The FBI opened its investigation into the pardon later that year.

Rich's ex-wife Denise Eisenberg Rich, whose name was redacted from the FBI files, "has been a major political donor to the Democratic Party, and these donations may have been intended to influence the fugitive's pardon," reads a bureau note requesting that a preliminary investigation be opened.

Some of the donations went to the William J. Clinton Presidential Foundation, the predecessor to the Clinton Foundation, according to the document.

"It appears that the required pardon standards and procedures were not followed," reads the FBI document dated February 15, 2001.

The Rich case fell under the watch of current FBI Director James Comey, then a younger prosecutor.

The FBI document dump comes as Comey is under fire, from both Democrats and some Republicans, for effectively reopening in recent days the bureau's investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server.

AFP

I’ll do more for African-Americans than Clinton – Trump

U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Thursday promised to do more for the African-Americans than his rival Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton could do in her lifetime.

Trump, at the third and final presidential debate with Clinton broadcast live early Thursday, claimed that Clinton and President Barack Obama had not made much impact on them.

“Our inner cities are a disaster. You get shot walking to the store. They have no education. They have no jobs. I will do more for African-Americans and Latinos than she can ever do in 10 lifetimes.”TrumpTrumpTrump

“All she has done is talk to the African-Americans and to the Latinos. After they get your votes and then they come to say we’ll see you in four years.

Trump, however, stressed that his administration would not take care of illegal immigrants or their debts.

He cautioned against voting for Clinton, saying a vote for her is a vote for the continuation of Obama’s administration.

He claimed that America “have been depleted militarily" adding, “our policemen and women are disrespected; we need law and order but we need justice too”.

“We’re going to make America strong again. We’ll make America great again, and it has to start now.

“We cannot take four more years of Barack Obama and that is what you get when you get her,” he said.

In her remarks at the debate, Clinton pledged to reach out to all Americans irrespective of their affiliations.

“I would like to say to everyone watching that I’m reaching out to all Americans, Democrats, Republicans and independents because we need everyone to help make our country what it should be.

“I know that we have the awesome responsibility of protecting our country and incredible opportunity of working to try to make life better for all of you,” she said.

According to her, she has made the cause of children and families the centre of mission of her life’s work adding, “that’s what my mission will be in the presidency”.

“I will stand up for families against powerful interests, against corporations, I will do everything I can to make sure you have good jobs with rising income,” she said.

The Democratic candidate also pledged to ensure that America children had better education.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Trump had during the debate, pledged to cut taxes and focus on growing the economy.

Clinton, however, disagreed with Trump, saying that “we need to put more money in social security trust fund”.

“We will make sure we have sufficient resources and that will mean raising the cap… I want to raise health benefits for women.

“If Trump repeals the America healthcare, healthcare will get worse…,” she said.

NAN reports that 52 per cent of American voters remain unchanged in their position that suggest that Clinton was ahead of Trump by nine per cent before the final debate, according to Reuters’s poll.

U.S. Govt hosts northern Nigeria governors in Washington D.C

Governors of the 19 northern states in Nigeria were yesterday received in Washington by the US government, in furtherance of the northern governors’ symposium organised by United States Institute of Peace (USIP) designed to amongst other things, seek possible ways of attaining lasting peace in Northern Nigeria.

The visiting governors are expected to spend three days in Washington while meeting with Steve Hayes, chairman of the Corporate Council on Africa and Gayle Smith, USAID director, to discuss project priorities for northern Nigeria.

Released emails show Clinton foundation received $1m pledge from Qatar while serving as Secretary of State

 

Hacked emails have revealed Bill and Hillary Clinton received $1m from Qatar for the Clinton Foundation while she was still in office as Secretary of State despite Hillary publicly promising the U.S. government that while she served as Secretary of state, the foundation would not accept new funding from foreign governments without seeking clearance from the State Department's ethics office.

The hacked email is among thousands published over the last week by the pro-transparency group Wikileaks from the account of John Podesta, the chairman of Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign and in the email from 2012, a senior official from the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation informed colleagues that a planned donation by Qatar's government to mark Bill Clinton's birthday came up in a meeting he had with Qatar's ambassador in Washington.

In the email, the ambassador said that he asked "to see WJC 'for five minutes' in NYC, to present $1 million check that Qatar promised for WJC's birthday in 2011," Amitabh Desai, the foundation official, writes in his email, using the former U.S. president's initials.

But the email doesn't show if the money was sent as a birthday gift to Bill Clinton or the family's foundation although the family's foundation's website lists the State of Qatar as having given that figure. 

Meanwhile, the U.S State Department in a statement said it cannot cite any instances of its ethics officials reviewing or approving new donations from foreign governments to the foundation while Clinton served as the country's top diplomat from 2009 until 2013.

"You would need to ask the Foundation whether there were additional matters that it should have submitted for State Department review," the department said in a statement..

Bill Clinton announced in August that, if Hillary won the presidency, the foundation would cease to accept money from foreign or corporate bodies and Bill would resign from the board. Hillary Clinton has not served on the board since April 2015.

Source: Fox News

US politician admits raping girl, 4, but claims it was 'her fault'

A former mayor who “dedicated his life to Jesus” repeatedly sexually assaulted a four-year-old girl and blamed her for being a “willing participant”.  

Richard Keenan, who served as mayor of Hubbard, Ohio, between 2010 and 2011, has been indicted with eight counts of rape and 12 counts of attempted rape and gross sexual imposition.

He pleaded not guilty last month, but prosecutors said he had admitted the assault to his wife, a pastor, a social worker and his brother and sister-in-law, as reported by the Youngstown Vindicator.
The period of assault, he reportedly admitted, spanned a three-year period, starting when the girl was four years old.

The child told his wife about the abuse and she confronted Keenan.
“I did it,” he said, according to court documents.

Keenan reportedly checked himself into a psychiatric facility as he felt suicidal. He told a social worker that he had started assaulting the child in September 2013 but that she had "initiated" the abuse, calling her a “willing participant”.
Spouses may testify if they wish under Ohio law, while the pastor will not be forced to testify about any admisions Keenan made to him.

In 2010, Keenan, who also worked for the city council in the 1990s and was a probation officer, told the same publication that he had “dedicated [his] life to Jesus”.
The former mayor will stand trial in April and has been released on $75,000 bail with the order to not have any contact with minors.

He faces life imprisonment.

Europe hits Apple with $14.6 billion tax bill

Ireland must recover up to 13 billion euros ($14.6 billion) in unpaid taxes from Apple, Europe's top regulator ruled on Tuesday.

 

The tax ruling is by far the biggest the European Union has ever made regarding a single company, and it could spark a huge transatlantic row over how Europe treats big U.S. companies.

Apple shares fell almost 3% in premarket trading. The company will appeal the decision. It said the ruling upended the international tax system and would damage jobs and investment in Europe. Ireland also intends to appeal.

The Commission said the Irish government had granted illegal state aid to Apple (AAPL, Tech30) by helping the tech giant to artificially lower its tax bill for more than 20 years. 

"Member States cannot give tax benefits to selected companies -- this is illegal under EU state aid rules," said Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, Europe's top antitrust official.

Apple paid tax at 1%, or less, on profits attributed to its subsidiaries in Ireland, well below the 35% top rate in the United States and even well below Ireland's 12.5% rate. 

That prompted complaints by both European and U.S. lawmakers, who argued the deal gave Apple an unfair advantage in exchange for creating jobs in Ireland. CEO Tim Cook was even called to testify on Apple's tax deal before a Senate committee in 2013.

The bill for tax benefits, plus interest, covers 2003 to 2014. Apple has more than $231 billion in cash on its balance sheet to cushion the blow.

Apple (AAPL, Tech30) is not the only American company that has recently found itself under scrutiny over its European tax affairs.

The European Commission ordered Starbucks and Fiat Chrysler to repay millions in taxes last October.

Starbucks (SBUX) has to pay back up to 30 million euros it saved thanks to a sweetheart tax deal with the Netherlands. Fiat Chrysler (FCAM) was ordered to repay a similar amount after a similar deal with Luxembourg.

Both companies have appealed the decisions. 

The EU is also probing the tax arrangements of Amazon (AMZN, Tech30) and McDonald's (MCD). Google (GOOG) is under investigation over its taxes in France and a couple of other European countries.

The ruling against Apple's tax deal comes despite a stern warning from the U.S. last week. The Treasury Department urged the European Commission to stop its tax crackdown on American companies, saying it would consider "potential responses" if Brussels doesn't change course.

US Olympic Committee apologizes for robbery saga, 2 swimmers head home

The U.S. Olympic Committee apologized late Thursday for what it called a “distracting ordeal” involving four of its swimmers in an alleged robbery that Brazilian police have said they made up.

The saga began when Lochte said that he and Conger, Bentz and Feigen were held at gunpoint and robbed several hours after the last Olympic swimming races ended. That claim began to unravel when police said that investigators could not find evidence to substantiate it.

Then, security video reviewed by police confirmed the athletes vandalized parts of the gas station, leading to an encounter with station employees.

The video shows one of the swimmers pulling a sign off of a wall and dropping it onto the ground. A gas station worker arrives, and other workers inspect the damage. Veloso said the swimmers broke a door, a soap dispenser and a mirror.

The swimmers eventually talk with station workers and their cab leaves. In another sequence, the swimmers appear to briefly raise their hands while talking to someone and sit down on a curb.

After a few minutes, the swimmers stand up and appear to exchange something — perhaps cash, as police said — with one of the men.

The footage doesn't show a weapon, but a police official speaking on condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing said two guards pointed guns at the swimmers. Veloso said the guards did not use excessive force and would have been justified in drawing their weapons because the athletes "were conducting themselves in a violent way."

A station employee called police, and the guards and employees tried to get the swimmers and the taxi driver to stay until authorities arrived, some even offering to help interpret between English and Portuguese, Veloso said. But he said the athletes wanted to leave, so they “voluntarily” paid 100 Brazilian reals (about US $33) and $20 in U.S. currency and left.

Police said the swimmers were unable to provide key details in early interviews, saying they had been intoxicated. The police official said officers grew suspicious when security video showed the swimmers returning to the athletes village wearing watches, which would have likely been taken in a robbery.

Bentz and Conger told police that they felt Lochte had lied about the situation in media interviews, according to text of the statements released by Rio police.

"We got pulled over, in the taxi, and these guys came out with a badge, a police badge, no lights, no nothing just a police badge and they pulled us over," Lochte told NBC's "Today" the morning after the incident. "They pulled out their guns, they told the other swimmers to get down on the ground — they got down on the ground. I refused, I was like we didn't do anything wrong, so — I'm not getting down on the ground.

"And then the guy pulled out his gun, he cocked it, put it to my forehead and he said, 'Get down,' and I put my hands up, I was like 'whatever.' He took our money, he took my wallet — he left my cellphone, he left my credentials."

The debacle prompted both wild speculation and social media mockery, which quickly turned to scorn after the official account went public. #LochteGate trended on Twitter, with users sharing video footage and posting comments about white privilege and rude Americans.

Lochte and the other swimmers could face sanctions from USA Swimming, including fines or suspension. The group, as well as Olympic officials, publicly expressed disappointment and said they would further examine the matter.

The saga began when Lochte said that he and Conger, Bentz and Feigen were held at gunpoint and robbed several hours after the last Olympic swimming races ended. That claim began to unravel when police said that investigators could not find evidence to substantiate it.

Then, security video reviewed by police confirmed the athletes vandalized parts of the gas station, leading to an encounter with station employees.

The video shows one of the swimmers pulling a sign off of a wall and dropping it onto the ground. A gas station worker arrives, and other workers inspect the damage. Veloso said the swimmers broke a door, a soap dispenser and a mirror.

The swimmers eventually talk with station workers and their cab leaves. In another sequence, the swimmers appear to briefly raise their hands while talking to someone and sit down on a curb.

After a few minutes, the swimmers stand up and appear to exchange something — perhaps cash, as police said — with one of the men.

The footage doesn't show a weapon, but a police official speaking on condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing said two guards pointed guns at the swimmers. Veloso said the guards did not use excessive force and would have been justified in drawing their weapons because the athletes "were conducting themselves in a violent way."

A station employee called police, and the guards and employees tried to get the swimmers and the taxi driver to stay until authorities arrived, some even offering to help interpret between English and Portuguese, Veloso said. But he said the athletes wanted to leave, so they “voluntarily” paid 100 Brazilian reals (about US $33) and $20 in U.S. currency and left.

Police said the swimmers were unable to provide key details in early interviews, saying they had been intoxicated. The police official said officers grew suspicious when security video showed the swimmers returning to the athletes village wearing watches, which would have likely been taken in a robbery.

Bentz and Conger told police that they felt Lochte had lied about the situation in media interviews, according to text of the statements released by Rio police.

"We got pulled over, in the taxi, and these guys came out with a badge, a police badge, no lights, no nothing just a police badge and they pulled us over," Lochte told NBC's "Today" the morning after the incident. "They pulled out their guns, they told the other swimmers to get down on the ground — they got down on the ground. I refused, I was like we didn't do anything wrong, so — I'm not getting down on the ground.

"And then the guy pulled out his gun, he cocked it, put it to my forehead and he said, 'Get down,' and I put my hands up, I was like 'whatever.' He took our money, he took my wallet — he left my cellphone, he left my credentials."

The debacle prompted both wild speculation and social media mockery, which quickly turned to scorn after the official account went public. #LochteGate trended on Twitter, with users sharing video footage and posting comments about white privilege and rude Americans.

Lochte and the other swimmers could face sanctions from USA Swimming, including fines or suspension. The group, as well as Olympic officials, publicly expressed disappointment and said they would further examine the matter.