Politics

Hillary’s State Department Wasted $620 Million On Failed Projects

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The U.S. Department of State wasted nearly $620 million on unused or failed projects and spent nearly $10 million on useless purchases while Hillary Clinton was secretary of state, according to a report from the Republican National Committee (RNC) released Thursday.

As Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump battle it out during the last two weeks of the presidential election, the GOP is making the case that “Hillary Clinton was a terrible steward of our taxpayer money, and can’t be trusted as President,” according to the RNC’s report. (RELATED: Trump Gains In NBC National Poll)

In addition to the $619,100,000 million spent on projects that were later abandoned, Clinton’s State Department spent $9,784,965 on what the RNC calls “frivolous” and “excessive” purchases, such as $5.4 million for crystal stemware under a contract awarded without competition, $630,000 to “increase Facebook likes on four State Department pages,” and $79,000 for copies of President Barack Obama’s books.

The State Department funded 11 projects that went completely unused or failed, each of which was identified by the Office of the Inspector General, or the Special Investigator General for Afghanistan Reconstruction. (RELATED: Govt Investigator: Aid Money Sloshed Around Afghanistan ‘Like A Bathtub Running Over’)

The purchase of $5.4 million worth of crystal stemware attracted headlines in 2010 when whistleblowers claimed that Clinton staffers were steering the contract without reason to a small business in Georgetown that donated to Barack Obama’s presidential campaign.

Around the same time as the stemware purchase, the State Department bought 32 bottles of wine at a price of $151 each — a total of $4,847 — to be served at one Ambassador’s residence, the GOP’s report says.

Other examples of frivolous spending highlighted in the RNC’s report include $8,708 to install a DJ booth in Baghdad, Iraq, in 2010; a comedy tour called “Make Chai Not War” that the State Department sent to India for $88,000; and $3.6 million for several TV trucks that were supposed to broadcast live sports in Afghanistan, but were never used.

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