Jim Hoft:
In August it was reported that the far left corrupt Podesta Group retroactively filed DOJ forms that they should have filed years earlier. Today we woke up to the announcement that Paul Manafort has been arrested for not filing the exact same forms. Did the corrupt Mueller investigation tip off the Podestas to get their forms filed?
In late August the Washington Examiner reported that the Podesta Group filed forms retroactively related to their dealings with Russia:
Back in April, the powerful Washington lobbying firm run by Clinton ally Tony Podesta filed a document admitting its work for the pro-Russia European Centre for a Modern Ukraine may have principally benefited a foreign government. New disclosures revealed dozens of previously unreported interactions the firm made with influential government offices, including Hillary Clinton’s State Department and the office of former Vice President Joe Biden, while lobbying on behalf of the center. Embattled ex-Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort failed to disclose his extensive lobbying efforts on behalf of the center at the time as well….
Anyone lobbying or doing public relations on behalf of foreign governments is required to register as a foreign agent in compliance with the Foreign Agents Registration Act. The Aug. 17 filings include short-form registration statements for six Podesta Group employees and an amendment to the firm’s registration statement that includes a list of political contributions made by relevant employees throughout 2013….
A review of those donations shows both parties received cash from Podesta Group lobbyists.
The individual employee filings appear to be uniform and lawyerly, each describing what their services were supposed to entail as, “Research and analyze issues related to principal’s organizational mission of improving ties between Ukraine and the West counsel on activities in Congress and executive branch and developments that relate to the principal’s organizational mission; and maintain contact, as needed, with legislative and executive branch officials, members of the media, and NGOs.” One of the filings is for Tony Podesta himself, who was a bundler for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign. Tony and his brother John–Clinton’s 2016 campaign chairman–co-founded the lobbying firm in 1988.
Last August, the AP reported that Manafort oversaw the lobbying efforts on behalf of the center carried out by the Podesta Group and Mercury, another high-powered firm. As the Washington Examiner noted in May, the Podesta Group was paid more by the think tank than Mercury — the firms earned $1 million and $720,000 between 2012 and 2014, respectively.
Now today Manafort was arrested for not filing the same forms the Podestas just filed in August.
Also, it was already reported in August that Manafort had not filed these forms.
National Review reported the following today –
Even if they filed the forms late, that does not exonerate them from operating as illegally as Manafort allegedly did. It is nothing but a matter of the will to do so if the Podesta’s and Hillary are prosecuted for the same infractions (and more… and WORSE) as Manafort is.
Will Mueller give Podesta immunity? every other Clinton-linked criminal conspirator has received it.
@kitt: Immunity only applies until the defendant lies. That shouldn’t take long, even if he got it.