A newly uncovered document shows that Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton personally signed off on a questionable employment decision she previously claimed she was not involved with.
Top Clinton aide Huma Abedin was able to work for the Clinton Foundation, Department of State and the private consulting firm Teneo Strategies as a Special Government Employee (SGE). When questioned about the arrangement, Clinton denied any involvement, but new documents obtained by Judicial Watch show that Clinton personally signed off on the position change.
Clinton signed the document March 23, 2012 to approve the change in title, according to the documents first reported by Politico.
The employment arrangement for Clinton’s deputy chief of staff raised questions about possible conflict of interest, particularly given allegations that Clinton used her position at the State Department to help the Clinton Foundation.
On top of that, the document appears to contradict statements Clinton made earlier about the arrangement.
In an interview with Andrea Mitchell at NBC that aired earlier this month, Mitchell asked Clinton about Abedin holding jobs at the Clinton Foundation, State Department, and Teneo, a firm started by a former Bill Clinton aide.
“Well, you know, I was not directly involved in that,” Clinton answered. “But everything that [Abedin] did was approved, under the rules, as they existed, by the State Department.”
Either Clinton does not think giving personal approval via her signature was being “directly involved,” or she was dishonest with Mitchell.
Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley has been critical of Abedin’s multiple interests and the lack of transparency.
“How can the taxpayer know who exactly SGEs are working for at any given moment?” Grassley said in a statement in late August. “How can the ethics officer at the State Department know?”
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