Saudi King lavishes Hillary Clinton with $500K worth of jewels

[Catherina]

Gawd.

Saudi King lavishes Hillary Clinton with $500K worth of jewels
7 days ago



Saudi King Abdullah kicked it extremely old school in terms of diplomatic glamour by lavishing then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton with $500,000 in white gold jewelry encrusted with rubies and diamonds last year, according to the Federal Register. While the president and many other ambassadors and politicians received gifts from foreign contacts in 2012, most are valued under $5,000. Half a million in ice? That’s pretty cool. The Constitution specifically prohibits U.S. government employees from accepting presents from kings, princes or foreign heads of state, and all gifts should technically be turned over to the General Services Administration for donation or public use. ...

http://now.msn.com/hillary-clinton-got-500k-gift-of-jewelry-from-saudi-king#scpshrtu

[treestar]

1. Sounds so 15th century

Like the Spanish Ambassador giving gifts to the King of England or the like.

It'll just go to the public treasury anyway.

[Jesus Malverde]

6. how about these gifts!

Vast inheritances were standard as dowries for aristocratic and royal brides in Europe during the Middle Ages. The Portuguese crown gave two cities as dowry to the British Crown in 1661 when King Charles II of England, Scotland and Ireland married Catherine of Braganza, a princess of Portugal. They were Mumbai Bombay in India and Tangier in Morocco.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dowry

[treestar]

9. That's something all right

Maybe we could give Uranus or Neptune to the Saudis!

[Jesus Malverde]

10. lol...nt

[canonfodder]

41. Yikes

I'll take Neptune. You can keep Uranus.

[treestar]

87. lol

keep yours, too!

[customerserviceguy]

75. How about giving them Saturn?

That has a nice ring to it.

[treestar]

86. haha

[felix_numinous]

94. No all they get

is a crusty moon around Uranus. Nothing more.

[libdem4life]

2. Maybe it's 21st Century and just paste...the real still in the vault. Yet, she is beaming.

Sarcasm or stupidity or greed ... so many choices.

[tblue37]

11. What "greed"? She would not keep the jewels for herself.

They would be turned over to the US government.

[libdem4life]

14. For what, exactly? More money? We print it all. More influence? Bombs on sale.

Maybe if they give her a crown, we can put it in the Smithsonian? Just unseemly...power high.

Also, would he give these precious jewels to a male...ah yes, to give to the US Treasury...which is the only agency likely to be able cash them in? And what would this income be classified? And what would it pay for?

Perhaps the question is...why would he bother...to what end? It's a slippery slope, indeed.

[pnwmom]

25. No slippery slope. She gives them to the GSA, which either sells them or puts them on display.

Some museum might benefit eventually.

[libdem4life]

35. Where does the slope end, if it's not slippery?

And who/what level qualifies as the "intermediary" for these gratuitous funds? And why or how do US democratically elected officials get off on taking any money, gifts, etc.? It can't be money for true campaign funds...there are laws for that and they have been elected already. See Michelle Bachmann, for example. Do they report it on their tax returns? Do they give it to aides to "handle"? Do we consider them royalty?

[pnwmom]

36. She didn't "take" anything. She accepted a gift on behalf of the U.S. The same rules cover

everyone, even Michelle Bachmann. You either have to report it and pay taxes on it, or hand it over to the GSA.

[libdem4life]

95. Good lord. Of course she can't cash them in and put the cash into her account.

The photo looks like Nero's Court, the amount of Riyals converted into Dollars is obscene, and I rather doubt all would be so cheery if it came from, say, China's or Mexico's or Head of State.

I'm pretty sure he knows exactly what he just "contributed", likely for reasons other than humanitarian or charity.

[tblue37]

93. SHE CANNOT CASH IN THE GIFTS! THEY DON'T GO INTO

her private bank account or into her campaign funds!

If someone gave you a gift to take home and turn over to a museum or to the government, which would then put it into a museum or sell it and use the money to reduce the deficit, we could not call YOU greedy for being the one to merely CARRY the gift to the museum or to the government.

SHE does not get to keep the gift. It is PRESENTED to her, but it never BELONGS to her--not even for a minute.

This is just a public display of friendship and respect between the representative of one nation and the representative of another nation.

Yes, the gift is often tailored to be "appropriate" to the gender or interests of the person it is being presented to, so jewelry would not be presented to a male SoS, but that's just "theater." The public of the presenting nation might not understand that the recipient will not get to keep the gift, so the person presenting the gift will make it seem appropriate to the recipient, as though he/she were to keep it for personal use.

BUT HILARY CLINTON WOULD NOT HAVE OWNED THOSE JEWELS FOR ONE SECOND, and SHE KNEW THAT!

She would never wear them or put them in her own jewelry box or luggage. She would immediately hand them over to State Department security, who would then guard them until the delegation returned home, at which point the jewels would have gone into a government vault until a decision was made about what to do with them.

I don't understand why you don't understand that HC NEVER possessed those jewels--and she never for even a second thought that she might get to keep them or even wear them.

[canonfodder]

42. Correct

Gifts of that nature become US property. Not the recipient.

[Little Star]

3. And did she turn them over to the General Services Administration for donation or public use? .....

Where is the rest of this story?????? What did she do with them, huh?????

[Tx4obama]

5. Our government releases a huge list of gift every six months or so...

... with 100s of gifts listed.

You'd have to scroll through those lists to see what has been reported and turned over.

[malthaussen]

7. Yeah, this story is what you call "innuendo."

If they don't have the integrity to investigate the whole of the story, then they are not worth paying any attention to.

-- Mal

[lumpy]

13. I have that feeling also, since the gift giving was when Clinton was Sec. of State.

Yes, innuendo. One of the first stories sent to please the anti-Clinton contigent

[Whisp]

23. she would not accept such a gift

all she has to do is book a $500,000 speech and everything is ducky and above board.

[Scootaloo]

27. Yup

I'm not a big fan of Clinton. But really, the angle of this piece is just blindingly obvious, and wholly unwarranted.

Except to help illustrate that King Abdullah al-Saud is kinda a tacky bastard. But that's not really news.

[lumpy]

12. Yes she turned then over to General Services Adm. That is a lot of bling !

She was given this tremendous gift when she was Sec. State as required. It is not at all unusual for some countries to rain gifts on other countries leaders. It is an age old practice, especially in some Mideast countries, people of wealth and influence are very generous with their help and constituents.

[Tx4obama]

17. Here ya go: Details WERE published by the State Department's Office of Protocol

Clinton Tops Obama In Gifts From Foreigners

Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton received gold jewellery worth $500,000 among other gifts from foreign leaders in her final year in the job.

Mrs Clinton outpaced even President Barack Obama when it came to gifts.

The most valuable given to Mr Obama's was a $16,500 (£11,000) gold-plated clock from the Saudi defence minister.

The $500,000 (£320,000) gift of jewellery came from King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia.

The jewellery and clock were among a bounty of vases, watches, artwork and other items given to US officials in 2012.

Details were published by the State Department's Office of Protocol, which catalogues the gifts and releases an annual list.

Under law, most gifts must go to the National Archives or General Services Administration, unless recipients reimburse the US Treasury for them.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/clinton-tops-obama-gifts-foreigners-205347341.html?.tsrc=yahoo#b0M0Vuf

[Pisces]

24. You are posting facts to some that want to bash. I just read some of the heinous comments from the

article( which did nothing to clarify), and they were all terrible.

[malthaussen]

29. Yep, figured that was the case. Thanks for the research.

I am no big fan of HRC, but this article is as tacky as the stuff the Saudis gave her.

-- Mal

[libdem4life]

38. Gives the term "An embarrassment of riches" a whole new meaning.

Apparently it's just business as usual. Learn something new every day. $500,000 plus other gifts?

I think she should have thanked him, then offered to donate the money to build a school for girls amongst his poverty-ridden peasantry. Probably could have built more than one. Call it the Hillary Clinton School District for Girls. We have enough museum pieces.

Outrageous...regardless of gender, color, party, or position.

[bluestate10]

64. She is required by law to turn them over to the Federal government.

What is the point of your venturing possibilities other? Jewels given publicly are hard to fence, even if one is naive enough to believe that Hillary Clinton would try that.

[SwampG8r]

71. she would

melt the gold down into ingots and recut the stones when no one was watching
do I need a sarcasm thingee?

[Tx4obama]

4. The President, First Lady, Cabinet members, etc do not get to keep gifts...

... so basically he made a huge donation to one of our museums

[sabrina 1]

8. I guess he was pleased with the Libya fiasco. Now we're moving on to Syria which will make him even

pleased. His proxy army in Syria isn't getting the job done, so he can turn to his friends the US to finish it for him.

[lumpy]

15. Nothing new in the world of playing the game of Chess. Guess we would rather have the Saudis on

our side. After all, they appear to be not incumbered with the problems of war, they have it made $$$$$ at this point.

[libdem4life]

16. Why would any political player take gifts...this isn't Christmas in Damascus...

and they are not Wise Men. What sum/value do you think they would give to, oh say Canada? or Mexico? or Iceland?

They should say what an IRS examiner would say when auditing your tax return and offered something of value ... "It's illegal because I'm a public servant." At what level is it OK to receive it...regardless of what is done with it?

(Or to a football coach offering to pay a star player to enroll in college even if the player intends to give it to, say the local Booster Club or the Sports Department...it's flat out illegal.)

[Tx4obama]

18. It is NOT illegal. It is customary for POTUS, FLOTUS, Cabinet members to accept the gifts...

... say thank you, report the gifts to the Office of Protocol, and turn over the gifts to the General Services Administration.

[libdem4life]

28. OK. Yet it still evades the question...WHY??? What does it pay for???

and at what political level does it evolve from bribery for influence and illegal, to a patriotic contribution to a government treasury? Especially when we likely owe them a ton of money, as we do most of the civilized world.

Can someone give a State Senator money to give to the State GSA? Or a local public school official receive money to put in the local band fund?

And when did "customary" trump what would be "illegal" elsewhere or at a different social or political level. What would be the purpose?

Don't mean to be argumentative, but the photo brought up old visions of Bush kissing and hand-holding some Saudi magnate. Is the Clinton Foundation the same as the Carlyle Group now? There were rumors it was not financially stable.

[dsc]

45. because refusing them is like saying fuck you

which isn't what our diplomats are supposed to be doing.

[sabrina 1]

55. For Libya. Hillary was proud of the war crimes in Libya. She didn't react to Bishop Tutu's shocked

response to her flippant reaction the horrific murder of Gadaffi when, instead of condemning such barbarism, she delighted in it. Her statement when asked about that war crime was: We came, we saw, he died'. No he didn't die, he was brutally butchered by a mob of extremist criminals.

Bishop Tutu's statement was restrained in response to hers. He commented that no decent human being could possibly condone that crime. He was very disappointed in her statement.

But when you have lost your soul, you are far more interested in the response of the orchestrators of the crimes than in what a decent, world wide respected human being has to say. She accepted the spoils of war and made no comment on Bishop Tutu's statement of shock at her dismissal of a horrendous war crime.

[bluestate10]

67. You're stating an opinion. nt

[leftstreet]

21. Because it makes US politicians feel like royalty n/t

[libdem4life]

30. Then, off with their political heads, so to speak. Back to working for the public

or go back home and start a business and employ some people. The Europeans have both, and their duties are clearly spelled out.

Another question...would it be customary for a foreign representative to give Obama jewels or cash...regardless of what he does with it?

[pnwmom]

44. It is illegal for Obama, Clinton, or any other government employee to keep such gifts.

They say thank you and turn them over to the GSA.

[libdem4life]

56. We're not talking about Hillary putting the money in her bank account. Good lord.

When you're talking about a few hundreds or thousand here and there, no one much cares. But to be the very public intermediary for a foreign power "donation to the US Treasury" for half a million? It's equally absurd.

[pnwmom]

66. They don't sell them off and put them in the treasury. They put them on display. n/t

[treestar]

91. It's an old custom

going back centuries.

[BainsBane]

19. She can't have accepted them.

Too bad.

[Tx4obama]

20. She accepted them, reported them, and turned them over. See Comment #18

She just didn't get to 'keep' them.

[BainsBane]

22. Okay, I'm happy to volunteer

to keep all the jewelry State Depart folks cannot.

[elleng]

26. Last year.

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

31. Chump change. Reagan got $2mill 1n 1989 from Japanese corp.

and he kept it.

http://articles.latimes.com/1990-03-04/magazine/tm-2327_1_nancy-reagan-foundation/3

[hughee99]

62. It's the difference between getting it while in office and AFTER leaving office...

The Big Dog has received millions from foreign sources for the same thing.

[Tanuki]

32. Extremely dishonest to imply this was a personal gift

or something HRC kept or derived any benefit from.

[Bobbie Jo]

50. Par for "this" course.

DU's own Faux News team on the job.

[bluestate10]

68. I agree with the implication. It is sad for people that insist they are "pure"

progressives to attempt such despicable actions, but it is routinely done on DU.

[Beacool]

77. Hear, hear!!!

Same old crap, different day.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

33. We're better than this or at least I thought we were/nt

[BootinUp]

52. You seem to be under the impression

that she kept them.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

81. ??????

My point was that the original poster wanted us to infer that she did.

[BootinUp]

85. Oh.

then forget I asked.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

88. No problem/nt

[Octafish]

34. Least he can do.

"We came. We saw. He died." Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Moammar Gaddafi.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20123348-503544/clinton-on-qaddafi-we-came-we-saw-he-died/

For all his despotic failings, Gaddafi, unlike King Abdullah, actually got around to using his nation's oil wealth to make life better for the average Libyan.

[polly7]

43. +1000! nt.

[sabrina 1]

57. Exactly. Libya was on the list, and the Western Powers deliverd. The butchering of Gadaffi, who

actually was popular with his people, was a war crime. That statement by Hillary shocked the civilized world as Bishop Tutu stated. Too bad Hillary isn't interested in the opinions of people like Bishop Tutu, but sure seems to want the approval of the Saudi Prince.

[polly7]

59. Not just for the people of Libya.

He'd been trying to help all of Africa get out from under the oppressive World Bank and IMF. There was a whole lot of lying taken to the Security Council to get him out, but they did it. Deja-vu, too. Rebels - many from outside Libya - who brutally carried out torture, ethnic cleansing and horror against Gaddafi loyalists, armed and funded by outside sources.

[joshcryer]

65. Gaddafi should've refused the Simón Bolívar replica.

Live by the sword and all.

He lived lavishly. His son Saif was siphoning oil money off to buy million dollar houses in the UK. Gaddafi himself lived in mansions. When the rebels took his palaces they were astonished by the luxury that Gaddafi had.

[markiv]

37. Clintons used Indian IT company jets

"The shareholder lawsuit contends that Vin Gupta, founder of the company, InfoUSA, used private corporate jets to fly the Clintons on business, personal and campaign trips"

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/22/business/22sec.html?ref=infousainc&_r=0

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) 2007 Global Alumni Conference -- Santa Clara, California, July 6, 2007. Hillary Clinton reassured the Indian lobbyists and American corporations that she supports an expanded H-1B visa program. Clinton casually disregarded the qualified and talented Americans who are being displaced by the cheap, young, and mostly male, H-1B visa holders.

To get the latest information on H-1B, L-1, and other types of nonimmigrant visas, be sure to visit this website, and sign up for the free "Job Destruction Newsletter".

[libdem4life]

39. Oh well, we do the same thing we just call it Foreign Aid. Probably how it's accounted for

in the Saudi Royal Accountant's Office. We don't expect anything in return either...

[Buns_of_Fire]

40. Maybe he was proposing? nt

[MineralMan]

46. And then she turned them over to the GSA,

as required by law. What is your point, I wonder? Rather small to post this without checking, I think. It diminishes you.

[Agschmid]

53. I just don't understand the point of the OP...

Also why post this now?

[bluestate10]

61. It was a ham handed attempt to cast aspersions on Hillary Clinton. The facts that all gifts have to

be turned over to a Federal agency means nothing when a person is trying to create a distortion.

[MineralMan]

82. I suppose the OP is trying to imply something

nefarious about either the Saudi government or HRC, or both. It is FAIL on all counts, though.

[Agschmid]

83. +1.

[polly7]

84. Here's my take on it ...

WHY are the Saudi's bankrolling terrorism against the people of Syria, not just Assad forces ....... and WHY the push to bomb for them? Would a SOS have gotten the same reaction here receiving half a million dollar gifts from Hussein or Gaddafi and not gotten scrutinized for it? Since when do supporters of terrorism get foreign military support to overthrow governments and the relationship not be challenged? I don't know the full dynamics of it all yet, but I can guarantee Catherina did not post this to 'diss' Hilary Clinton. People need to think a little.

[MineralMan]

89. Yes. We have different takes on it.

We haven't heard from the OP regarding the motivation for posting this, though. In fact, the OP has not ventured back into the thread at all, as far as I can see. Why is that, do you suppose?

[libdem4life]

47. $500 K changed hands somehow. For a Museum? I stood for Hillary during the Rose Law Firm

debacle, and I still admire her for the good she has done domestically and internationally, but this is terrible. Why her and not John Kerry? Like we don't know.

Even if ends up in a legally gilded shrine in the Smithsonian...she's likely to run for President. That's the reason for the extra zeros on the funds transfer...call it what you will.

[Nine]

48. This has all been explained to you upthread.

Why are you beating this dead horse? What part of this do you not get?

[Beacool]

78. You obviously know zip about diplomacy.

Why don't you inform yourself about how international relations work between countries before you keep blathering nonsense in post after post?

[libdem4life]

92. Regardless ... this sets an alarming precedent...who's next...and how much?

Being a political mediary (of course she's not keeping it)...an SOS transferring a half a million in jewels surely for a fancy museum... the photo says it all ... is grotesque in its obvious purchase of "good will".

If that is standard diplomatic routine by our diplomats and does not call folks to question it but defend it tooth and nail, then yes, I plead "the need to inform myself", "need to learn more than zip", "blathering nonsense" and "beating a dead horse". Nor am I anti-Hillary. If John Kerry or Condoleeza Rice had done the same, I'd be disagreeing with either one, as well.

Never once, however, have I referred to a particular poster that I don't agree with in personal and demeaning terms. That's not appropriate, IMHO, but I'm done protesting.

[undeterred]

49. Well I bet he won't do that for John Kerry.

[Mojorabbit]

51. In the seventies when I was working as a young nurse

We had a Saudi princess on one of the floors below where I worked. Every person on the staff on that floor was gifted with a diamond bracelet when she was discharged from the hospital. Perhaps it is a cultural thing.

[madrchsod]

54. much to do about absolutely nothing.....

[bluestate10]

58. You understand that the jewels are now Federal property.

Everyone, including the President turn over gifts to the Federal government. I don't understand what was the purpose of you posting your OP, but if it was done to cast aspersions on Hillary Clinton, it fails the smell test, or any test against facts.

[Agschmid]

60. +1...

I hate that I kicked this thread.

[spanone]

63. she can't keep them so she's not being lavished

the headline infers she being bought. imho

[Orrex]

69. I heard that she sold them to help fund the HAARP earthquake satellite.

[BootinUp]

70. lol nt

[Tom Ripley]

72. He only sent me a teaset for a wedding gift. I'm deadly serious.

[Jesus Malverde]

73. This is a derivative of a WSJ piece

The diplomatic swag included more than 40 rugs, 21 necklaces, 19 bowls and three paperweights. American officials were also presented with 10 swords, eight daggers, six sabers, three AK-47s and one anti-tank gun. (The guns were a gift from the Afghan National Army to a lieutenant colonel.)

snip

Other foreign leaders, like Mr. Putin, gave booze. Pakistan’s ambassador to the U.S. gave Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell Chivas Regal scotch valued at $480. (The scotch was “deposited with the Secretary of the Senate,” the report said. Mrs. Clinton’s cognac was “handled pursuant to the guidelines set forth by General Services Administrations.”)

In each case, the same reason was given for why the gift was not returned: “Non-acceptance would cause embarrassment to donor and U.S. Government.”

Article I, Section 9 of the Constitution prohibits U.S. government employees from accepting any present of any kind from kings, princes or foreign heads of state.

Congress, though, allows government employees to keep foreign gifts of “minimum value”, which at the moment is defined as less than $350. (The basketball from President Xi was appraised at $740.)

When it’s above $350, recipients can purchase the gifts at fair-market value or their agencies can hold on to them for official use, as outgoing Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano did with a “clear-glass perfume bottle with purple glass stopper” she received from King Abdullah II of Jordan.

http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2013/08/29/booze-from-putin-a-basketball-from-xi-and-an-ipad-from-the-saudis/

[gopiscrap]

74. Holy Cow

does she need to hand that shit over to the US State Department or can she keep it now because technically, she's a private citizen?

[MisterP]

76. hold on--is that a gilded Toclafane on the table? RUN!

[Beacool]

79. So??????????

What is the point of the OP, other than an attempt to bash Hillary? As several posters have stated already, neither Hillary or any government official get to keep these gifts (unless they are willing to pay the retail price for them). So what was the point of posting this misleading article?

[David__77]

80. Interesting that this would provoke defensiveness...

It says a lot about the Saudi view of diplomacy and their general disposition toward material things.

[magical thyme]

90. the Spanish Riding School of Vienna gave Ronald Reagan a fully trained Lipizzaner stallion

Reagan didn't turn him over to the treasury. He rode him at his ranch.

http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=42020