A State Department spokesman on Friday said that a Hillary Clinton donor’s appointment to a top secret federal advisory board despite having no experience with its activities is “not unusual” because he represented “a broad range of views.”
ABC News reported earlier on Friday that in 2011, Hillary Clinton’s chief of staff Cheryl Mills directed career diplomats to appoint Rajiv Fernando, a high-frequency stock trader from Chicago, to the International Security Advisory Board (ISAB).
Mills’ move — which was likely okayed by Clinton — surprised the career staffers, according to emails obtained by the legal advocacy group Citizens United. Fernando had no previous experience with the board’s mission, which involves providing independent insight and advice on international security matters, including top secret nuclear weapons issues.
Fernando, who joined a board packed with former high-ranking military officials, lawmakers and national security experts, was also not included on the short list of candidates given to Clinton’s aides.
His main credential appears to be the six-figure donation he gave to the Clinton Foundation and the $30,000 he contributed to a group dedicated to retiring Clinton’s 2008 campaign debt.
In August 2011, Fernando announced he was stepping down from the board just days after ABC News began inquiring about his appointment. Citizens United emails show that State’s career officials sought to stall ABC News as it moved to get ahead of the story. They also sought to “protect” the name of Sec. Clinton and the integrity of ISAB.
Besides Mills, another longtime Clinton aide, Heather Samuelson, was involved in deliberations about Fernando. Samuelson, who served in the State Department’s office of White House liaison at the time, is the lawyer who conducted the search of emails from Clinton’s private email server.
She picked out which records were personal and which were work-related.
Talking to reporters on Friday, State Department spokesman Mark Toner defended Fernando’s selection, which has all the appearances of a politically-motivated appointment.
“The board should reflect, according to its charter, a balance of background, points of view. He was chosen as part of that process trying to choose members that represent a broad range of views, I assume,” he said.
Asked if the pick suggested political motivation, Toner denied the charge, saying the appointment was “not unusual.”
“It’s not unusual for a broad range of individuals to be vetted and chosen for these kinds of positions,” Toner added.
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