The importance of pleasing Soros

Emails published by WikiLeaks show Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign staff discussing the importance of keeping billionaire George Soros happy. Soros pledged more than $25 million to help elect Hillary Clinton in 2016.

The leaked discussion between several prominent members of the Clinton camp – including campaign manager Robby Mook and Clinton aide Huma Abedin – centres around the organization called America Votes, highlighting the lengths the campaign was willing to go to please Soros.

The email is one among thousands allegedly hacked from Clinton campaign Chairman John Podesta and reveals the campaign’s subservient political relationship to Soros to keep money flowing.

America Votes, which works “with over 400 state and national partner organizations to advance progressive policies, win elections, and protect every American’s right to vote,” has received millions in funding from Soros.

“I would only do this for political reasons (ie to make Soros happy),” Mook assures Abedin. “It’s very unclear to me how much AV will matter next cycle. And I haven’t seen then [sic] adding any value this cycle. I also worry a little it will cause donor confusion vis a vis Priorities.”

“She [Clinton] is having dinner with George Soros tonight,” Abedin responds. “Do you know much about America Votes? As Greg Speed explained to me, they are the coordinated campaign for various outside groups. Soros is a big supporter of the group and hes [sic] going to ask her tonight if she will come to a fundraiser for them at his house in December. Thoughts?”

Abedin responded to Mook by indicating that Podesta was on board with their scheme. Podesta suggested Attorney General Loretta Lynch as a possible alternative for the America Votes fundraiser. Abedin reported back, “Checked with her. She doesn’t really know her and thus has no opinion. Sorry we aren’t more helpful.”

Other emails released in the Podesta drop reveal similar close ties to the nefarious Open Society philanthropist.

The information comes just as the US presidential election pulls into the final stretch, with Clinton struggling to maintain a clear lead over Republican rival Trump in most recent polls.

Her use of a private email server to send work-related correspondence during her tenure as Secretary of State continues to be a liability for the candidate, who has frequently been accused of deceit.

Files on Benghazi made public on Monday also claim that a high-ranking State Department official offered an FBI agent a “quid pro quo” in exchange for the agency altering a piece of information about one of the emails sent from Clinton’s private server.

Patrick Kennedy, the undersecretary of state for management, offered the FBI more placements overseas in exchange for declassifying or lowering the classification of the email. The FBI rejected the offer, according to the files.

The email concerned reports from November 2012 that Libyan police were arresting suspects following the attack on the US diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya.

The alteration would have allowed the State Department to archive the email in the basement of its headquarters, effectively hiding it away from public view for good.