William J. Clinton Foundation: This initial release consists of material from the FBI's files related to the Will… https://t.co/Y4nz3aRSmG
— FBI Records Vault (@FBIRecordsVault) November 1, 2016
Via Daily Caller:
The FBI on Tuesday released documents related to a now-closed federal investigation of an alleged pay-to-play scheme involving Bill Clinton and the Clinton Foundation.
The documents, which are heavily redacted, regard the investigation of Clinton’s last-minute pardon of Marc Rich, a billionaire fugitive who was wanted in the U.S. for tax evasion.
The Jan. 20, 2001 pardon sparked the last controversy to befall the scandal-plagued Clinton administration. Rich’s ex-wife, Denise, donated more than $1 million to various Clinton and Democratic entities, including the Democratic National Committee, Hillary Clinton’s New York Senate campaign and the Clinton Foundation.
The release provides little in the way of information that has not already been publicized. But the dump is noteworthy for two reasons. It reminds voters that the Clinton White House and Clinton Foundation were embroiled in an investigation concerning pay-to-play allegations. The Clinton Foundation is reportedly being investigated at the present by multiple FBI field offices.
It also comes as the FBI is locked in a bitter standoff with the Clinton Foundation and the Justice Department over FBI director James Comey’s handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation.
The newly-released files include one entry which shows that “the required pardon standards and procedures were not followed” prior to the Rich pardon.
Roger Adams, the U.S. Pardon Attorney at the time, testified to Congress in Feb. 2001 that “none of the regular procedures were followed” ahead of the Rich reprieve.