WikiLeaks Email: Clinton Campaign Plotting Against Bernie With Tax Exempt 501(C)3 Environmental Group

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WikiLeaks Email: Clinton Campaign Plotting Against Bernie With Tax Exempt 501(C)3 Environmental Group

Posted on November 3, 2016.

If you are reading through the WikiLeaks emails that have been flooding out, the internal workings of the Clinton Campaign are nothing short of breathtaking in their total disregard of laws and rules.

In one email, several people are discussing Hillary Clinton’s tightrope walk between her support of fracking and her love of money from oil and how to strike a balance with the Bernie Sanders supporters who are raving conservationists. It puts her in a position of hypocrisy between the Democratic mainstay of destroying all things related to big oil and the Environmental kooks who would do away with all fossil fuels if we let them. And of course Bernie Sanders was well known fo rhis refusal to take any money at all from the evil oil industry.

The email in question was written on February 23, 2016 at a time when Hillary was deeply worried that Bernie might upset her coronation and was a far tougher opponent than she expected.

This email thread was due to the fact that Sanders released a YouTube video (which has since been taken down) that was playing in Colorado. It has to do with fracking and the environment. The text of the ad was:

Bernie Sanders. The courage to stand up to Big Oil, because he won’t take their money. That’s why Sanders said no to the Keystone pipeline, and never waffled. He’s also the only candidate to oppose fracking, because fracking can endanger our drinking water and threaten our climate. Sanders has the most far reaching plan to fight climate change and build a clean energy future. Bernie Sanders. People before polluters. Sanders: I’m Bernie Sanders and I approve this message.

The “drivers” of this email exchange are Jake Sullivan who is the Hillary campaign’s top foreign policy advisor and Bradley Komar who is Hillary’s lead organizer in Colorado. After he was made aware of the Sander’s video with the above text, Sullivan became worried about the advantage it might give Sanders in Colorado in the primary then just a week away. Kristina Costa, one of Hillary’s Climate Change advisors was also involved. As was Trevor Houser, Clinton’s energy advisor.

According to Costa, Komar and Houser were having a discussion about the problem.

Bradley Komar begins the group thought process:

I would prefer an ally (congressman polis and/or LCV) Who have strong bone
fides on the environment to whack sander’s for taking an irresponsible
position and in doing so, threatening real progress on frack fluid
disclosure and air quality regulations. This is yet another promise he
can’t keep.I think we will be forced to weigh in by sanders and of course we have to
state our position: it’s a transitional energy–and we need to go green.
But that is a very soft response that sounds better if Bernie is being hit
by the left.
I would watch our tone and not sound too pro-fracking. A reluctant tone is
a better fit for dem caucus goers (it’s a transition energy. It’s not great
but it allows us to get to where we want to be)

See? Walking the tightrope. the reference to Congressman Polis is Colorado Congressman Jared Polis (D) who is not anti fracking but has been has been labeled so recently by the press. It is hard to walk that back without offending the environmental voters. The thinking here is Polis may be an ally they can use to push back on Bernie as being unrealistic on fracking. Also, the mention of LCV is the League of Conservation Voters.

At this point Houser adds Hillary Campaign Chairman John Podesta (whose emails were released by WikiLeaks) and Podesta’s Chief of Staff Sara Latham.

And after adding Podesta and Latham, Houser wrote:

Brad and I just chatted. We think the following posture makes sense:
“Bernie’s call for banning all hydraulic fracturing is, extreme, unfeasible
and ignores the contribution natural gas has made to our economy and our
efforts to reduce carbon pollution. What we need to focus on is putting in
place common sense safeguards to protect our air and water, like mandatory
disclosure of fracking chemicals, closing the Halliburton loophole,
regulations to reduce methane emissions from both new and existing sources.
Hillary has called for all of these things to make sure that those
communities that choose to pursue natural gas development do so safely and
responsibly. And she will stand by those communities that decide they don’t
want natural gas production to occur.”
Did I capture it Brad? We are seeing if some progressive allies can hit
Bernie for being too extreme on this.

So they are formulating a response to Bernie’s absolute ban on fracking with something that they feel is more reasonable.

But the last sentence is important: We are seeing if some progressive allies can hit Bernie for being too extreme on this.

Then Costa asked Komar if he thought they could get Congressman Polis to help them hit Bernie.

Komar writes he is extremely concerned with Bernie’s line in the ad that he is the only candidate that opposes fracking. He knows that Sander’s has a more popular position in Colorado. So he wants to make sure the Clinton Campaign makes it clear they want more regulation, not a ban.

And then he says:

The Denver Post Editorial Board could really smack him for this. This is
tricky waters for caucus goers but his language may leave him vulnerable.

So the Denver Post is in the tank for Hillary and may be willing to write an editorial to slap Sanders on his fracking views.

Komar writes that he believes he can get Polis. And then he writes:

I am going to quietly check with Conservation Colorado (the state LCV) and
see if they have an appetite for pushing back on Sanders.I think the Denver Post Ed Board could smack Sanders if we want them to but
that makes it a bigger fight.

Quietly check with Conservation Colorado. The state League of Conservation Voters.

The problem is, Conservation Colorado is a tax exempt 501(c)3. Their web page states:

For legal purposes, our corporate name is Conservation Colorado Education Fund. We are an IRS-approved 501(c)3 non-profit charitable organization; our tax exempt identification number is 84-0614285.

And anyone on the right is familiar with the audits and persecution the IRS has given TEA Party groups. Coordinating with a campaign is a strict no no. The group can (and should) lose their non-profit tax exempt status for working with the Clinton campaign.

Here is what the IRS says:

Under the Internal Revenue Code, all section 501(c)(3) organizations are absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office. Contributions to political campaign funds or public statements of position (verbal or written) made on behalf of the organization in favor of or in opposition to any candidate for public office clearly violate the prohibition against political campaign activity. Violating this prohibition may result in denial or revocation of tax-exempt status and the imposition of certain excise taxes.

But the kicker here Komar only writes he is going to “quietly” reach out to Conservation Colorado. But did he do so? Is there a smoking gun?

You bet.

It seems that Kumar reached out to LCV (League of Conservation Voters – ie Conservation Colorado) and they were not willing to hit Bernie on this.

Just got off with Brad and filled him in on LiUNA/labor drama. LCV isn’t willing to hit Bernie on this. Sounds like Polis is the best bet if press stats asking, otherwise better to duck and cover.

While Conservation Colorado didn’t act on behalf of the Clinton Campaign, they participated by even discussing a campaign tactic with a 501(c)3 entity. Which is prohibited.

If this were a TEA Party group they would already have lost their tax exempt status.

And the fact that they openly discussed this illegal activity with so many people including Attorney John Podesta without a single question from any of the email participants is jaw dropping. “Quietly” was the operative word in this email exchange. They all knew this was wrong, but not one of these people objected.

The lawlessness of the Clinton’s is simply stunning.

The full email is below and can be found on WikiLeaks here:

(Formatted and ordered by time)
*From:* Kristina Costa [mailto:kcosta@hillaryclinton.com
<kcosta@hillaryclinton.com>] *Sent:* Tuesday, February 23, 2016 1:48 PM
*To:* Jake Sullivan; Bradley Komar
*Cc:* Tyson Brody; Samantha McClain; Clips; Trevor Houser; Mr. Pete Ogden;
Ben Kobren
*Subject:* RE: NEW AD: Bernie Sanders – “Frack”
Trevor and Brad are connecting now to discuss.
—————————————————————-
On Tue, Feb 23, 2016 at 2:00 PM, Kristina Costa <kcosta@hillaryclinton.com>
wrote:
+ for awareness
—————————————————————
*From:* Bradley Komar [mailto:bkomar@hillaryclinton.com
<bkomar@hillaryclinton.com>] *Sent:* Tuesday, February 23, 2016 2:21 PM
*To:* Trevor Houser
*Cc:* Kristina Costa; Jake Sullivan; Sara Latham; John Podesta; Tyson
Brody; Samantha McClain; Mr. Pete Ogden; Ben Kobren
*Subject:* NEW AD: Bernie Sanders – “Frack”
I would prefer an ally (congressman polis and/or LCV) Who have strong bone
fides on the environment to whack sander’s for taking an irresponsible
position and in doing so, threatening real progress on frack fluid
disclosure and air quality regulations. This is yet another promise he
can’t keep.
I think we will be forced to weigh in by sanders and of course we have to
state our position: it’s a transitional energy–and we need to go green.
But that is a very soft response that sounds better if Bernie is being hit
by the left.
I would watch our tone and not sound too pro-fracking. A reluctant tone is
a better fit for dem caucus goers (it’s a transition energy. It’s not great
but it allows us to get to where we want to be)
On Tuesday, February 23, 2016, Trevor Houser <tghouser.hrc@gmail.com> wrote:
++ John and Sara on this chain.
Brad and I just chatted. We think the following posture makes sense:
“Bernie’s call for banning all hydraulic fracturing is, extreme, unfeasible
and ignores the contribution natural gas has made to our economy and our
efforts to reduce carbon pollution. What we need to focus on is putting in
place common sense safeguards to protect our air and water, like mandatory
disclosure of fracking chemicals, closing the Halliburton loophole,
regulations to reduce methane emissions from both new and existing sources.
Hillary has called for all of these things to make sure that those
communities that choose to pursue natural gas development do so safely and
responsibly. And she will stand by those communities that decide they don’t
want natural gas production to occur.”
Did I capture it Brad? We are seeing if some progressive allies can hit
Bernie for being too extreme on this.
———————————————————————–
On Tue, Feb 23, 2016 at 3:38 PM, Kristina Costa <kcosta@hillaryclinton.com>
wrote:
Brad, do you think we can get polis?
We also lost comms. +
/KLC
———————————————————————-
*From:* clips@hillaryclinton.com [mailto:clips@hillaryclinton.com
<clips@hillaryclinton.com>] *On Behalf Of *Tyson Brody
*Sent:* Tuesday, February 23, 2016 3:45 PM
*To:* Bradley Komar <bkomar@hillaryclinton.com>
*Cc:* Samantha McClain <smcclain@hillaryclinton.com>; Clips <
clips@hillaryclinton.com>
*Subject:* Re: NEW AD: Bernie Sanders – “Frack”
at the very least in Colorado:

On Tue, Feb 23, 2016 at 3:43 PM, Bradley Komar <bkomar@hillaryclinton.com>
wrote:
Do we know where this is playing?
On Tuesday, February 23, 2016, Samantha McClain <smcclain@hillaryclinton.com>
wrote:
v/o: Bernie Sanders. The courage to stand up to Big Oil, because he won’t
take their money.
That’s why Sanders said no to the Keystone pipeline, and never waffled.
He’s also the only candidate to oppose fracking, because fracking can
endanger our drinking water and threaten our climate.
Sanders has the most far reaching plan to fight climate change and build a
clean energy future.
Bernie Sanders. People before polluters.
Sanders: I’m Bernie Sanders and I approve this message.
—————————————————————
On Feb 23, 2016, at 4:07 PM, Bradley Komar <bkomar@hillaryclinton.com>
wrote:
“The only candidate to oppose fracking”
What does that mean? A complete 100% fracking ban. There is no elected
dem and I believe no enviro group that takes this position. In fact, such
an extreme position threatens the progress of common-sense safety measures
like frack fluid disclosure and methane capture/air quality regulations.
The Denver Post Editorial Board could really smack him for this. This is
tricky waters for caucus goers but his language may leave him vulnerable.
Jared Polis is a regarded as a leader of the regulating fracking team in CO
and his argument is reforms, not a ban.
“Fracking can endanger our drinking water and threaten our climate”
For the fact check: The threaten our climate is based on methane released
in the air when extracting natural gas from the ground. Colorado mandates
oil and gas pay for methane capture technology to prevent the potent green
house gas from escaping and the state issues large fines to bad actors.
Natural gas burns cleaner than other traditional energies so the “threatens
our climate” is about methane released during extraction which Colorado has
already addressed.
Still really tough for us to talk about.
—————————————————————–
*From:* Jake Sullivan [mailto:jsullivan@hillaryclinton.com
<jsullivan@hillaryclinton.com>] *Sent:* Tuesday, February 23, 2016 4:38 PM
*To:* Bradley Komar <bkomar@hillaryclinton.com>
*Cc:* Kristina Costa <kcosta@hillaryclinton.com>; Tyson Brody <
tbrody@hillaryclinton.com>; Samantha McClain <smcclain@hillaryclinton.com>;
Clips <clips@hillaryclinton.com>; Trevor Houser <tghouser.hrc@gmail.com>;
Mr. Pete Ogden <progden@gmail.com>; Ben Kobren <benkobren@gmail.com>
*Subject:* Re: NEW AD: Bernie Sanders – “Frack”
Should we try to do anything with this?
=================================================================
On Feb 23, 2016, at 5:37 PM, Trevor Houser <tghouser.hrc@gmail.com> wrote:
Just got off with Brad and filled him in on LiUNA/labor drama. LCV isn’t
willing to hit Bernie on this. Sounds like Polis is the best bet if press
stats asking, otherwise better to duck and cover.
—————————————————————-
*From:* Bradley Komar [mailto:bkomar@hillaryclinton.com] *Sent:* Tuesday, February 23, 2016 6:09 PM
*To:* Kristina Costa <kcosta@hillaryclinton.com>
*Cc:* Trevor Houser <tghouser.hrc@gmail.com>; Jake Sullivan <
jsullivan@hillaryclinton.com>; Sara Latham <slatham@hillaryclinton.com>;
John Podesta <john.podesta@gmail.com>; Tyson Brody <
tbrody@hillaryclinton.com>; Samantha McClain <smcclain@hillaryclinton.com>;
Mr. Pete Ogden <progden@gmail.com>; Ben Kobren <benkobren@gmail.com>; Josh
Schwerin <jschwerin@hillaryclinton.com>
*Subject:* Re: NEW AD: Bernie Sanders – “Frack”
I think we can get Polis if we want him to. he does not like that he is
painted as anti-fracking in the press and this is an opportunity for him to
push off sanders and appear more reasonable. It also benefits us—a
win-win.
I am going to quietly check with Conservation Colorado (the state LCV) and
see if they have an appetite for pushing back on Sanders.
I think the Denver Post Ed Board could smack Sanders if we want them to but
that makes it a bigger fight.
Keep in mind this is a busy news day in CO and we have had no media
inquires. We can either start a fight or line up the validators for when
the Sanders starts the fight. I think the latter makes more sense but its
a close call.
So should I line up validators in Polis and local LCV while holding off on
the Denver Post Ed Board until Sanders engages?
———————————————————————–
To: bkomar@hillaryclinton.com
Date: 2016-02-23 21:20
Subject: RE: NEW AD: Bernie Sanders – “Frack”
+ HRCRR back to consider Bradley’s plan for pushing back on Sanders CO ad.
I think this approach makes sense but defer to comms.

About Tom White

Tom is a US Navy Veteran, owns an Insurance Agency and is currently an IT Manager for a Virginia Distributor. He has been published in American Thinker, currently writes for the Richmond Examiner as well as Virginia Right! Blog.Tom lives in Hanover County, Va and is involved in politics at every level and is a Recovering Republican who has finally had enough of the War on Conservatives in progress with the Leadership of the GOP on a National Level.

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