- Clinton campaign chair John Podesta served as a counselor to President Obama – now his emails have been hacked
- An email posted by Wikileaks reveals Clinton sent Podesta a detailed policy memo on how to go after ISIS
- It contained the claim that Saudi Arabia and Qatar’s governments ‘are providing clandestine financial and logistic support’ for ISIS
- Email started by saying its sources included ‘Western intelligence, US intelligence and sources’
- Clinton, who was was no longer in office, sent it from her now notorious hrod67@clintonemail.com address – which ran from her secret server
- Family foundation took donations from Qatar that year
Hillary Clinton sent a lengthy email about ISIS to a key aide citing ‘US intelligence’ – and in it accused Saudi Arabia and Qatar of funding the group.
She wrote to John Podesta, now her campaign chair and then a senior White House aide, setting out the explosive charge in lengthy nine-point email about the terror group and the wider Middle East.
The email was sent to his Gmail account, from which thousands of emails have been published by Wikileaks.
Podesta has accused the Russians of hacking him, possibly altering some of the messages, then giving the Trump campaign advance notice of their impending publication. But he refuses to offer what he claims to be the unedited emails, making the accuracy of his claim impossible to verify.
The Clinton message to Podesta came from her now notorious secret server email address – hrod17@clintonemail.com, which she appears to have continued to use after serving as secretary of state.
It was sent in August 2014, as the terror group grabbed control of swathes of Iraq and Syria.
The email, posted by Wikileaks as part of a broader hack of Podesta’s emails, showed the detailed policy discussion taking place over two private accounts.
It is not clear if Clinton actually wrote the lengthy paper or if it came to her from another source. No other emails from her account revealed either by leak or court order have run to such length.
In the note Clinton referred to ISIS as ISIL, its preferred name in government circles.
‘With all of its tragic aspects, the advance of ISIL through Iraq gives the U.S. Government an opportunity to change the way it deals with the chaotic security situation in North Africa and the Middle East,’ according to the message Clinton sent to Podesta in August 2014, while he was a counselor to President Obama.
‘The most important factor in this matter is to make use of intelligence resources and Special Operations troops in an aggressive manner, while avoiding the old school solution, which calls for more traditional military operations,’ according to the email.
As for the sourcing of the detailed analysis, Clinton wrote: ‘Note: Sources include Western intelligence, US intelligence and sources in the region.’
She went to recommend extensive use of battle-hardened peshmerga troops with ‘long standing relationships with CIA officers and Special Forces’ as a ground force, though he advises providing armored vehicles and artillery to deal with a massive cache of U.S.-provided weapons seized by ISIS when they overran Iraqi government positions in Iraq.
The email urges a ‘low profile’ effort, and argues the U.S. should ‘use our diplomatic and more traditional intelligence assets to bring pressure on the governments of Qatar and Saudi Arabia, which are providing clandestine financial and logistic support to ISIL.’
Podesta responded, according to the email: ‘Agree but there may be opportunities as the Iraqi piece improves. Also, any idea whose fighters attacked Islamist positions in Tripoli, Libya? Worth analyzing for future purposes.’
Podesta wrote as the email chain concluded in a September 27th email: ‘Send our love to Chelsea, Marc and Grandpa. Can’t wait to meet Charlotte,’ in reference to Chelsea’s new daughter, who was born two days earlier.
That email was headed, ‘Congrats.’
The explosive charge of Saudi funding for ISIS is in the face of denials from the country, and it later joining efforts to defeat the terror group.
The country is seen as a key regional ally. So too is Qatar, where Central Command has a forward headquarters which is vital in U.S. military efforts against ISIS.
Clinton’s private and public views will now be scrutinized to see if she repeats the charge, or resiles from it.
It is not one which has ever been made by the Obama White House, which also acted to attempt to stop legislation allowing the living victims of 9/11 and those bereaved by it to sue Saudi Arabia’s government over allegations of involvement in the attacks.
Podesta is a respected consigliere for the Clintons and within Washington. He served as Bill Clinton’s chief of staff, then served as the first head of the liberal Center for American Progress, a think tank that got stocked with former Clinton alumni.
The Clinton Foundation – which she was part of at the time – took donations from Qatar in 2014, the Wall Street Journal reported.
It has also taken money from Saudi Arabia, although Politifact said that it appeared those donations had been made during or before 2008.
