|
State Dept Struggles Defending John Podesta Relative's Lobbying, Arms Deals
[Free Beacon] State Department spokesman John Kirby had trouble Wednesday defending the lobbying of John Podesta's sister-in-law, Heather Podesta, and the arms deals that she benefitted from while John Podesta worked as a State Department counselor during Hillary Clinton’s tenure there.Heather Podesta is a well known Democratic lobbyist and bundler for Clinton's presidential campaigns, as are the other two lobbyists with whom she worked on the arms deals. Three contracts for Qatar that Podesta and her associates worked on were valued at $19 billion, Fox News correspondent James Rosen noted during the State Department daily press briefing. Rosen asked Kirby about the lobbying and if it was a conflict of interest of any kind. Kirby replied that there is a "standard procedure" for such contracts before the United States government approves foreign military sales per law. Kirby said the process involves multiple bureaus in both the State and Defense Departments. "Statutorily, one official here at the Department of State is entrusted with final approval over these transfers. Am I correct about that?" Rosen asked. Posted by: Besoeker 2016-10-27 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=471419 |