The FBI has made a fairly confusing announcement of information just one week from Election Day. The information is linked to a contentious pardon Bill Clinton made on his last day in office nearly 16 years ago.
The law enforcement agency released documents on Tuesday connected to the former president’s pardon of Marc Rich. The former hedge-fund manager had been charged on multiple counts of wire fraud, tax evasion, and racketeering.
The release came from an FBI Twitter account that had been inactive for at least a year until this past Sunday. The new documents turned up just days following FBI Director James Comey’s announcement last week. Comey revealed the previous week that the agency was examining new emails possibly associated to the former secretary of state’s private server. Hence, Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon called it an “odd” decision and immediately questioned the release.
So, an FBI account is tweeting things about the Clinton foundation. Appears to be from 2001 investigation into several of Clinton's pardons https://t.co/PDIwBYueIO
— Peter Stevenson (@PeterWStevenson) November 1, 2016
The files were part of a regular release of information that had been called for several times under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), the FBI said in a statement late Tuesday evening.
“The FBI’s Records Management Division receives thousands of FOIA requests annually which are processed on a first in, first out (FIFO) basis. By law, FOIA materials that have been requested three or more times are posted electronically to the FBI’s public reading room shortly after they are processed. 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.”
William J. Clinton Foundation: This initial release consists of material from the FBI's files related to the Will… https://t.co/Y4nz3aRSmG
— FBI Records Vault (@FBIRecordsVault) November 1, 2016
The 129 pages from the 2001 investigation are greatly redacted. Rich was a worldwide fugitive who had escaped to Switzerland at the time of the pardon. Further, his ex-wife had donated to the Clinton Presidential Library, the Democratic National Committee, and Hillary Clinton’s New York Senate campaign, causing suspicion about the pardon. The federal investigation was ended in 2005 without charges, and Rich died in 2013.
John Podesta, Clinton’s former White House chief of staff, is currently his wife’s campaign chairman. He attested before Congress that White House aides had implored Clinton not to pardon Rich. Former Obama Attorney General Eric Holder was then a deputy attorney general and was counseling Clinton on pardons.
There is an association between Rich and Comey, too. In the case against Rich, Comey was the prosecutor from 1987 until 1993. Further, when he was the U.S. attorney for Manhattan, he took charge of the investigation into President Clinton’s pardon in 2002. Comey wrote in a 2008 letter that he was “stunned” by the Rich pardon.
The FBI also tweeted out eight pages of documents on Sunday related to GOP nominee Donald Trump’s late father, Fred. They referred to a tax case he once appeared in and numerous real estate deals.
Fred C. Trump: Fred C. Trump (1905-1999) was a real estate developer and philanthropist. This release consists of… https://t.co/21KgtPpmzk
— FBI Records Vault (@FBIRecordsVault) October 30, 2016
The post FBI Files On Bill Clinton’s Pardon Of Marc Rich Released, Stirs Controversy appeared first on Newsline.
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