Hillary Clinton continues to run for president one tweet at a time. Last night, shortly before midnight, she finally weighed in on the Baltimore riots:
Tonight I am praying for peace & safety for all in Baltimore, & for Freddie Gray's family - his death is a tragedy that demands answers. -H
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) April 28, 2015
As you can see, she even changed her logo in light of this week’s Supreme Court arguments on gay marriage, which she opposed until just recently.
Like most of her tweets, it’s completely unobjectionable. It’s also true: Freddy Gray’s death was a tragedy that demands answers. But it’s a bit rich for Hillary Clinton, of all people, to be demanding answers from public officials about potential wronging, especially in light of her continued refusal to address legitimate concerns regarding the Clinton Foundation, such as those raised in this story on Bill Clinton accepting speaking fees from corporations that were actively lobbying Hillary Clinton's State Department:
The Clintons did not respond to IBTimes’ questions about the propriety of the speaking arrangements. A spokesperson for the White House referred questions to the State Department and the Clinton Foundation, neither of which responded.
Since announcing her candidacy two weeks ago, Hillary has fielded and answered just seven questions from the press. Only two of those questions were about investigations concerning the relationship between the Clinton Foundation and its donors. On both occasions, she dismissed the issue as a mere "distraction," suggesting that none of the questions raised by investigations into the Clinton Foundation demand legitimate answers. Furthermore, her decision to erase the emails on her private server means we may never get those answers.
Hillary Clinton’s aversion to public accountability notwithstanding, there are plenty of legitimate questions about the Clinton Foundation that need to be answered. For example:
- Did you ever discuss Clinton Foundation activities on your personal email account?
- If so, were any of those emails flagged as "personal" in nature and therefore deleted upon review?
- Why did the Clinton Foundation—on numerous occasions, and in violation of administration policy—fail to disclose donations from foreign actors with interests pending before the State Department?
- Can you understand why voters might view this as evidence of poor ethical judgment, or at the very least, of a pattern of unacceptable sloppiness, especially since many of these donations weren’t properly reported to the IRS either? Or are they just underestimating how hard it is for rich and powerful people to abide by every freaking rule society imposes on them?
- What is your response to scrutiny from groups like Charity Navigator, a nonprofit ratings agency that has placed the Clinton Foundation on a watch list of potentially problematic charities, and the Sunlight Foundation, which has described the foundation as a "slush fund"? Are they acting on behalf of a right-wing conspiracy to discredit you?
- A "person with knowledge of the Clinton Foundation’s fundraising operations" recently told the New York Times that many Clinton Foundation donors are hoping to buy influence, and believe that donating to an organization tied to powerful individuals such as you and your husband is an effective way of doing so. Is this accurate? Or is this individual also involved in the right-wing smear campaign?
- Even if it’s technically allowed under the law, do you think it’s appropriate for the husband of a sitting secretary of state to accept millions of dollars in speaking fees from corporate interests actively lobbying the State Department?
- Why did the Clinton Foundation blatantly lie to the New York Times about a meeting with Kazakh officials at your mansion in Chappaqua? Are voters right to see this as a reason to be skeptical about what the foundation is saying now? Obviously this was purely accidental and is the only time it’s ever happened, but do you condone this behavior?
- What does the Clinton Foundation do, exactly? According to IRS documents, it spends a ton of money on employee salaries, conferences, and travel expenses, and a lot less on its charitable mission than other foundations. Why is that?
- Are any of these questions legitimate, or are they merely "distractions" from the crucial issues being discussed on your campaign Twitter account?