Emails and records released through the Freedom of Information Act shed new light on the potential conflicts of interest created by an unusual personnel arrangement involving a longtime aide to Hillary Clinton.
Huma Abedin’s simultaneous roles at the State Department, the Clinton Foundation and a consulting firm with close ties to the Clintons converged in December of 2012, when she arranged a trip to Ireland that seemingly benefited each of her employers.
This set-up has become the focus of a congressional inquiry and multiple FOIA lawsuits.
For example, as Abedin planned a series of meetings and speeches for the former secretary of state to attend during her swing through Dublin and Belfast, she also coordinated with one of her colleagues at Teneo Strategies, a consulting firm founded by a longtime Clinton confidante, to plan a social gathering for insiders.
Abedin, who served as Clinton’s deputy chief of staff before following her out of the State Department and onto the 2016 trail, coordinated extensively with Declan Kelly, former special envoy to Northern Ireland and co-founder of Teneo, in the days before the dinner.
Clinton had chosen Kelly for the envoy position originally created by her husband, a post Kelly left in 2011 to found Teneo with Douglas Band, former aide to President Bill Clinton.
“Hillary is excited many of you are coming and hopes to see as much of you as possible,” Abedin wrote in a Nov. 30, 2012 email sent to a mix of State Department officials and private sector friends of Clinton.
The night after the Dublin dinner, Clinton and Abedin headed to a Belfast event hosted by a major donor to the Clinton Foundation and promoted by Teneo.
Abedin’s role in advising Clinton on her schedule and travel raises questions about whether she steered the secretary of state to an event in which both of her other employers were involved.
Another email shows Abedin included in discussions with Clinton Foundation executives, Band and State Department officials about forming a “flexible” nonprofit that would be set up so “any funding raised could be used in whatever manner [Bill Clinton] and [Hillary Clinton] wish in Ireland and Northern Ireland,” according to the Clinton Foundation’s director of foreign policy.
The Sept. 21, 2012 email was included in a batch of documents obtained through FOIA by Citizens United, a conservative group preparing a sequel to its 2008 documentary “Hillary: The Movie.”
“When you are focused on Hillary Clinton, you have to look very closely at those that are around her those that are her closest aides and have been for many years,” said David Bossie, president of Citizens United. “They not only understand and know how the Clinton machine operates — they’re the ones making the Clinton machine operate.”
Bossie noted conflicting statements made by Abedin’s attorney in recent days.
“Huma Abedin and her lawyers have made statements that she did nothing for her private business at Teneo while she was a ‘special government employee,’ and I think that these emails call that into question,” he said.
Abedin’s attorney dismissed allegations that his client delivered favors for friends while working at the State Department as “unfortunate and unfounded” in an Aug. 21 letter.
Sen. Charles Grassley has raised questions about the “special government employee” status Abedin secured in 2012, which allowed her to hold multiple private and public sector positions at the same time.
The Iowa Republican, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, questioned why Abedin was included on thousands of emails involving Band, citing the records as proof of her close ties to Teneo.
Abedin’s attorney has argued the emails only exist because Abedin and Band, as current and former aides to the Clintons, were included on the same email distribution lists.
Abedin’s employment is also the focus of a high-profile FOIA lawsuit filed by Judicial Watch.
Citizens United has more than a dozen FOIA requests pending before the State Department that have been folded into six separate lawsuits.
