The Hillary Clinton donor who was appointed to a top secret State Department advisory board but resigned soon after is not listed on the agency’s website with other former board members.
Raj Fernando’s appointment to the International Security Advisory Board (ISAB) was a major news story on Friday. The seven-figure Clinton Foundation donor, who founded a high-frequency stock trading firm, was appointed to the board in July 2011. He resigned a month later after ABC News asked the State Department why a Clinton donor with no national security experience was appointed to the panel.
Emails obtained by Citizens United and reported by ABC on Friday show that State Department officials scrambled and stalled to stave off a potential scandal for the agency.
They also show that Clinton’s chief of staff Cheryl Mills was involved in the appointment process. Career State Department officials were also surprised by Fernando’s appointment to the board, which provides the State Department with advice on top secret international security issues.
Fernando’s main qualification for the position appears to be that he gave as much as $250,000 to the Clinton Foundation. He also donated $30,000 to a political action committee that helped pay down debt from Hillary Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign. He is now listed as having donated between $1 million and $5 million to the Clinton Foundation.
The State Department’s website lists current and former ISAB members. But Fernando’s name is notably absent.
ISAB former member’s list (State.gov)
Past versions of the ISAB page saved on the Internet do not include Fernando’s name.
The Clinton crony is listed elsewhere on the State Department’s website. He attended a July 12, 2011 ISAB meeting and is seen in a group photo of board members.
Asked about Fernando’s absence from the website, State Department spokesman Mark Toner admitted on Friday that he did not have an answer.
“I can check on that, actually. I don’t know why it wasn’t included — he is not listed on the website. I don’t have an answer,” he told reporters.
A reporter joked with Toner that perhaps he could ask the person who was responsible for ordering the removal of eight minutes of video from a Dec. 2, 2013 press briefing. The State Department admitted last week that an agency official ordered the deletion of a question and answer exchange about the Iran nuclear deal.
“Can you find out who it was who called the person who cut it off the website and who called them to tell them to do that?” a reporter asked.
“Okay,” Toner said to laughter. “We’ll do so immediately.”