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"So this guy walks into a Colombian trade deal, and he says..."
Hillary Clinton thinks any scandal surrounding her campaign can be laughed off...
Good Flavia Colgan op-ed piece today on the Clinton family's double-dealing on Colombia and free trade. Here's the money section:
According to the Huffington Post, Bill Clinton received $800,000 to take part in a speaking tour sponsored by Gold Service International, a Colombian outfit that supports the free trade deal. Just after, his Clinton Global Initiative announced millions of dollars of investment, including in Colombia. Just last year, Clinton participated in an event for, and received an award from, Colombian President Uribe - a man whose human and labor rights record is so odious that Al Gore backed out of an environmental event when he found out Uribe would be there. The award Clinton received was described as ABC News as part of a PR effort to "counter [Colombia's] negative image among Washington Democrats."
The Clinton campaign's press secretary, Jay Carson, offered a petulant response, telling Ben Smith of The Politico, "Yawn."
Actually, Carson's boss thinks the whole allegation is just like any other bad news for the Clinton campaign: Comic material.
Asked by CNN if those earnings represented a conflict of interest given that she has dipped into her family's pocketbook to pay campaign bills, Clinton threw up her hands and laughed loudly for several seconds.
"How many angels dance on the head of the pin?," she responded, continuing to giggle. "I have really, uh, nothing to … I mean, how do you answer that?"
How do you answer that? Here's a whacky idea...uh, with an honest answer. Ever since Clinton went on "Saturday Night Live" and won a couple of primaries, she's decided that any allegation, no matter how seriously, can be brushed off with a joke. The problem, senator, is that eventually people will treat your campaign the same way -- as a joke