Wikileaks Proves Primary Was Rigged: DNC Undermined Democracy

Yes, Clinton's Emails Were Hacked and Now You Can Read Them Online

Gar Smith
Friday July 15, 2016 - 01:55:00 PM

While it is difficult to excuse invasions of privacy when it comes to the rights of ordinary citizens, it is sometimes necessary to oversee and rein-in the abuses of powerful politicians and corrupt business leaders.

Hillary Clinton's emails are so in-the-news these days, it is worth taking a moment to note that, yes, the former Secretary of State's emails were hacked and, yes, as a result, anyone can now spend an afternoon (or all night) online, pretending to be a Global Czar of Espionage while combing through Clinton's electronic exchanges.

There are some surprising discoveries to uncover. Read, for example, the inside story of how the "conquering powers" tried to out-maneuver one another in the hidden battle to take over Libya's oil resources. Read the memo that informs Clinton that the funding behind the deadly attack on the US embassy in Benghazi came from . . . Saudi Arabia.

The emails handed over to government investigators by Hillary and her staff are now posted on a government website (link below). Other emails have been leaked by foreign sources and have recently appeared in a new Hil-specific corner of WikiLeaks -- also available for browsing on-line (link also below).

Nonetheless, on July 5, FBI Director James Comey announced the conclusion of his agency's investigation of Hillary Clinton's email etiquette and insisted: "We did not find direct evidence that it was hacked successfully but given the nature of the system and the actors involved we would be unlikely to see such activity."

Comey's comforting words echoed the assurance of the State Department back in May. As Andrew Blake reported in The Washington Times on Friday, May 6, 2016:

"The State Department joined Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton in rejecting claims made by a Romanian hacker who boasted of breaching the former secretary of state's private email server.

"We don't have any reason to believe that it might be true," department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters . . . .

These denials seem to be acts of denial. The fact is, Clinton's emails have been hacked, leaked and let loose on the Internet via Russian sources and WikiLeaks.
Back in May, I tapped into this trove when I wrote the following exposé:

* * *

Hillary's Email Bombshell:
Saudi's Financed the Benghazi Attack
Gar Smith / World Beyond War / The Real News / OpEd News / Medium.com
(May 11, 2016) -- Bernie Sanders may have been chivalrous when he told a beleaguered Hillary Clinton, "The American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails." But when it comes to actually reading some of Clinton's confidential exchanges, that's another matter.

In December 2014, Hillary Rodham Clinton began providing the State Department with personal emails sent or received during her tenure as Secretary of State. The final batch was released on February 29, 2016. The entire collection is now posted on the State Department's Public Reading Room and is searchable via this link.

But the collection is not complete. Clinton admits to having deleted 32,000 emails "deemed private." Among the missing are a number of politically charged emails sent to Secretary Clinton by a trusted colleague named Sidney Blumenthal. Blumenthal's emails were allegedly captured and copied by Marcel Lazar Lehel, an unemployed Romanian taxi driver better known as "Guccifer" and "Small Fume."

In April of this year, Lehel became an instant celebrity after he was identified as the cyber-savvy interloper who had hacked into Clinton's official email account during her time as Secretary of State. (Lehel was recently awarded an all-expenses-paid trip from a Romanian prison to the US where he will spend his days in an American jail cell under an 18-month extradition order.)

Guccifer's sudden celebrity may seem a bit odd, given that he initially released Clinton's compromised communiqués some time ago—back in 2013, to be precise.

Before Guccifer became tabloid-fodder in the West, he had already popped a number of eyes by sharing his disclosures with the Russian media organization RT ("Hillary Clinton's 'hacked' Benghazi emails: FULL RELEASE") on March 20, 2013. (A second bundle of Guccifer's Blumenthal-Clinton emails was released on March 22, 2013.)

Given the current frenzy over Guccifer and his revelations, it is remarkable that his headline-grabbing "leaks" went virtually unreported when he first twisted the spigot back in 2013. At the time, the mainstream media took little notice. The only "news outlets" to pick up on Guccifer's cyber-pranks were a few conspiracy sites like The Smoking Gun and Cryptome. [Note: You may experience trouble trying to access the Cryptome website.]

The tranche of Clinton's "damn emails" subsequently posted by RT included some pretty damning revelations. Perhaps none was more shocking than the disclosure that the deadly attack on the American consulate in Benghazi on September 11, 2012—which took the life of US ambassador John Christopher "Chris" Stevens—was secretly financed by powerful figures in Saudi Arabia.

This information was contained within the text of four messages Secretary Clinton received from Blumenthal. It should be noted that Blumenthal was not an employee of the US State Department. He was an employee of the Clinton Foundation, earning salary of $10,000 a month as a consultant providing memo-worthy Intel to Secretary Clinton. On the side, Blumenthal also was serving an entrepreneurial role inside a Libyan company called Osprey that was hoping to reap lucrative medical and military contracts under the new post-Qadaffi government. (Since such business deals could require State Department approval, Hillary Clinton might be asked someday whether this relationship with Blumenthal posed a "conflict of interest.")

The Saudi's Role in the Benghazi Attack

One confidential memo dispatched to Clinton on February 16, 2013 bore the warning: "The following information comes from extremely sensitive sources and it should be handled with care." In this memo, Blumenthal included a lengthy report from an "individual with sensitive access" who, "speaking on condition of absolute secrecy" described the role of the Mokhtar Belmokhtar (a former Al-Qaeda fighter from Algeria who became the leader of the Al-Murabitoun militia) in a January 16, 2013 hostage-taking incident at an Algerian gas facility. (A four-day battle eventually freed 685 Algerian workers and 107 foreigners and left 39 foreign hostages dead).

Blumenthal's source then turned to the attack on the US Consulate in Benghazi which was mounted by Ansar al Sharia, another radical militia. "This individual adds that this information provided by the French [intelligence] service indicates that the funding for both attacks originated with wealthy Sunni Islamists in Saudi Arabia. During July and August 2012, these financiers provided funds to Al Qaeda in the Islamic Mahgreb (AQIM) contacts in southern Europe, who in turn passed the money onto AQIM operatives in Mauritania. The money was used to recruit operatives and purchase ammunition and supplies."

"In a separate conversation," Blumenthal's memo continues, "Algerian DGSE [the state intelligence agency] officers note in private that Libyan intelligence officers tell them that the Benghazi attacks were funded by these financiers in Saudi Arabia."

Alleged Saudi funding of the attack in Benghazi is particularly troubling in light of the mounting suspicions that the 28 censored pages of Washington's official 911 report spell out the role that powerful officials in Saudi Arabia played in supporting the hijackers who brought down the World Trade Center towers in 2001.

It is disturbing to discover that Hillary Clinton was informed of Saudi involvement in the death of Ambassador Stevens in 2013 and has opted to remain silent.

The Blumenthal memos make many references to the complex role of foreign intelligence—most prominently the CIA and Britain's Secret Intelligence Service (SIS)—both during Qaddafi's reign and after the unraveling of Libya's government.

One of Blumenthal's sources refers to the "heightened public interest in the liaison relationships conducted by the CIA and the SIS with Qaddafi's intelligence and security services" and mentions the international organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) and its "efforts to tie Western governments to human rights violations committed under Qaddafi."

According to one of Blumenthal's sources, Mohammed Yousef el-Magariaf, a Libyan politician who served as the president of the General National Congress and "interim head-of-state," was concerned that his "enemies are working to take advantage of his suspected links to the CIA" and predicted "this situation will only grow more complex as Qaddafi's son, Saif al Islam Qaddafi and al Senousi are brought before Libyan courts" since It was believed "both men will be linked to Western intelligence during their trials."

Compounding the problem, Blumenthal warned Clinton, were "messages to Libya from the CIA and SIS [that] were found among the Tripoli Documents published by HRW indicating that the United States and Britain were eager to help Libya capture several senior LIFG [Libyan Islamic Fighting Group] figures."
Blumenthal's memos reportedly constituted an article Clinton received relating to unfolding events inside Libya.

Did Clinton actually read these intelligence updates? There is evidence that she did, at least on August 27, 2012, when Blumenthal dashed off a note to alert Clinton that Libya's newest president-to-be wished to "seek a discreet relationship with Israel." According to the documents released by Guccifer, Clinton replied: "If true, this is encouraging. Should consider passing to Israelis."

The Role of Oil

Blumenthal's confidential missives to Secretary Clinton included an assurance from one unnamed source that "the investigation of the murder of the United States ambassador" was one of many efforts "related to what he sees as his most important role—rebuilding the confidence of the international business community in its ability to operate in Libya safely and efficiently."

Of course, when one speaks of "business" in Libya, that means "oil."

One of Blumenthal's contacts confided that "the Italian government is stepping up its activities in Libya, and the president expects them to pressure to [sic] Abushagur [Mustafa Abushagur, a Libyan politician] appoint an individual like Ben Yezza to the oil ministry, where he can favor ENI [Italy's National Hydrocarbons Authority] and other Italian firms."

In another posting, Blumenthal advises Clinton that any "comprehensive plan for the oil industry will face opposition from individuals with links to foreign oil firms, primarily foreign trained engineers who hope to see greater privatization in the oil an [sic] oil services industries in the wake of the revolution."

Nonetheless, Clinton was advised: "The Italian government will continue to increase its investment in Libya in an effort to get ahead of the other foreign firms concerned in Libya."

The French Connection

Other memos from Guccifer's 2013 trove explored French President Nicolas Sarkozy's motivations for taking the lead in the military assault on Qaddafi's Libya.

In one memo from April 2, 2011, Blumenthal explained that France was concerned that Qaddafi's $7 billion plan to create a Pan-African currency would deal a disastrous blow to the French economy, specifically the CFA franc, a widely circulated currency that had dominated West Africa since the days of French colonialism.

Publicly, Sarkozy insisted the French military airstrikes we're simply designed to defend Libyans who wished to "liberate themselves from servitude."

Blumenthal's Libya memos, however, suggest that France's motives had little to do with liberation. Instead, Blumenthal's Libyan confidantes cited Sarkozy's four primary goals: access to Libyan oil; increased French influence in Northern Africa; new French military bases in the region; and a public relations boost prior to Sarkozy's 2012 election.

Secretary Clinton was likely not surprised to read that French intelligence had been working with the post-Qaddafi National Transitional Council to assure that French companies—not the Italians—enjoyed primary access to Libya's oil resources. One memo, dated March 22, 2011, was actually titled "How the French created the National Libyan Council, ou l'argent parle."

"L'argent parle," of course, is French for "money talks." Blumenthal informed the Secretary that covert agents of France's General Directorate for External Security (DGSE) had been conducting "a series of meetings" in which they passed beaucoup "money and guidance" to members of the Libyan opposition. The memo continues: "[S]peaking under orders from [Sarkozy, they] promised that as soon the [Council] was organized, friends would recognize [it] as the new government of Libya." There was a clear quid pro quo: "in return for their assistance . . . the DGSE officers indicated that they expected the new government of Libya to favor French firms and national interests, particularly regarding the oil industry in Libya."

For his part, Sarkozy officially denied coveting Qaddafi's carbon-fueled coffers and, ultimately, it was not France, but China and Russia, who wound up controlling most of Libya's "liberated" oil assets.

* * *

New Email Disclosures

Since posting the Benghazi Bombshell story, a new collection of Hil-mails has been posted on the WikiLeaks website. One email from this new batch of high-level communiqués provides more detail on the role of oil in promoting the overthrow of Libyan leader Muammar al-Qaddafi—and the subsequent battle to manage and manipulate the oily "spoils of war."

One of these previously secret emails provides insights into the whys and hows of the war on Libya and its aftermath. This exchange between Clinton and her close aid Sid Blumenthal describes the feeding frenzy as oil-addicted world powers maneuvered to take advantage of the post-Gaddafi chaos.

[Note: Emphasis added.]

France, UK, et al, Jockeying in Libya/oil
UNCLASSIFIED U.S. Department of State
Case No. F-2014-20439 Doc No. C05788788
Date: 01/07/2016
RELEASE IN PART B6
From: H
Sent: Sunday, September 18, 2011 7:57 PM
To: 'sbwhoeoi _
Subject: Re: H: Intel: allies in Libya/oil.
Sid Thx. I'll try to check in w you this week.

--- ---

From: sbwhoeop [mailto:sbwhoeop
Sent: Thursday, September 15, 2011 01:32 PM
To: H
Subject: H: Intel: allies in Libya/oil.
Sid CONFIDENTIAL
September 16, 2011
For: Hillary
From: Sid

Re: France, UK, et al, jockeying in Libya/oil

During mid-September 2011 French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister David Cameron traveled to Tripoli to meet with and express support for the leaders of the new government of Libya under the National Transitional Council (NTC). According to knowledgeable individuals, as part of this effort, the two leaders, in private conversations, also intend to press the leaders of the NTC to reward their early support for the rebellion against Muammar al Qaddafi.

Sarkozy and Cameron expect this recognition to be tangible, in the form of favorable contracts for French and British energy companies looking to play a major role in the Libyan oil industry.

According to this source, Sarkozy feels, quite strongly, that without French support there would have been no revolution and that the NTC government must demonstrate that it realizes this fact. For his part, Cameron appears most concerned that despite British support for the rebels during the fighting, certain members of the NTC remain focused on the fact that the British government and oil industry had good relations with the Qaddafi regime, particularly the firm British Petroleum (BP).

At the same time, this source indicates that the government of France is carrying out a concerted program of private and public diplomacy to press the new/transitional government of Libya to reserve as much as 35% of Libya's oil related industry for French firms, particularly the major French energy company TOTAL.

Sources with access to the highest levels of Libya's ruling NTC, as well as senior advisors to Sarkozy, stated in strict confidence that while much of this pressure is being exerted at very senior diplomatic and political levels, the French external intelligence service (Direction Generale de la Securite Exterieure/General Directorate for External Security -- DGSE) is using sources with influence over the NTC to press the French position.

At present, as NTC leaders are consolidating their positions in Tripoli, they are attempting to balance the interests of the new government and the Libyan people against the need to recognize the support provided to them by France and other major powers in their struggle with Muammar al Qaddafi. These same sources indicate that NTC President Mustafa Abdul Jalil and the NTC leadership continue to be highly suspicious of the activities and goals of the governments of China and Russia in Libya.

According to these sources, representatives of the Emir of Qatar have privately warned that while both countries pursue foreign economic policies that work to the disadvantage of the host government, it is somewhat easier to deal with firms associated with Russia. With this in mind the NTC has entered into an agreement with the Amsterdam base energy firm of GUNVOR International BV, which has close ties to the Russian government and the Russian oil industry.

The NTC has also entered into an initial agreement, allowing TOTAL, to purchase and ship Libyan oil. This individual believes that this agreement does not set aside any specific portion of the Libyan oil industry for TOTAL, as Sarkozy would like.

(Source Comment: NTC President Jalil continues to favor awarding foreign business agreements on a case by case basis, and has stated privately that he is reluctant to support entering into a comprehensive agreement of any kind with France, or any other country or entity. He is, however, prepared to favor firms from France, the United Kingdom, and the United States in specific cases, based on the support they provided for the NTC during the rebellion.

He and his advisors are somewhat hostile toward the position of the Italian government and the Italian energy firm ENI, based on their past support for Qaddafi and their caution in coming to terms with the NTC before the fall of the previous government. Jalil harbors similar sentiments toward the UK government and British Petroleum (BP) but does recognize that they moved away from Qaddafi to support the NTC after France began active involvement in the Libyan uprising.

Interestingly, although Jalil and Prime Minister Mahmoud Jebril have begun a low key power struggle within the NTC, they agree on these points regarding foreign business contracts. A separate source added that the French government in general and the DGSE in particular privately harbor a degree of mistrust toward Jalil based on intelligence indicating that he was responsible for the assassination of NTC military commander General Abdul Fatah Younes in July 2011. Younes was extremely well connected to the DGSE and the French military.)

In the opinion of these sources the NTC leadership is more comfortable dealing with large private firms that are, in turn, well connected to friendly governments. To this end, and in addition to the GUNVOR and TOTAL contracts, the NTC has signed agreements with the Swiss energy firm GLENCORE, as well as VITOL of Qatar to service and ship oil as the fighting dies down across the country. These sources add that both firms provided active support to the NTC during the rebellion and are held in high regard by Jalil, Jabril and the rest of the leadership.

During early September 2011 sources with excellent access to the highest levels of major Western European governments stated in confidence that, despite the stepped up fighting in recent weeks, there has been an unusually low level of damage to the infrastructure of the Libyan oil industry. This is true even in the western portion of the country and around town of Sirte, which remained under the control of forces loyal to Qaddafi.

The NTC is already shipping approximately 300mm barrels of oil per day, primarily via GLENCORE and VITOL. The level of production is expected to increase when the fighting begins to die down in those areas still loyal to Qaddafi. (Source Comment: According to an individual with excellent access to the governments of Western Europe, the NTC must continue to make the final defeat and capture of Qaddafi their principal preoccupation, and avoid falling into political infighting and attempts by individuals to profit from the revolution. Failure to do so will lead to an extended period of violence and political chaos.

Among the most important points the NTC leadership must address are its ability to field an organized and disciplined military force, while providing battlefield medical support for its troops, and humanitarian aid to the civilian population. In the opinion of this knowledgeable individual, until these goals are met the NTC will struggle to maintain credibility as an established government in Libya and among its foreign supporters.)

Postscript

Now, thanks to the Internet, anyone can look into Hillary's email bag. For anyone who wants to play armchair "counterspy," here is a link to the WikiLeaks site:
https://wikileaks.org/clinton-emails/

Just type in a keyword and see what pops up.

I just typed in the word "shoes," wondering if there might be some interesting emails between Mrs. Clinton and Huma Abedin discussing favored brands of fashionable footwear.

Instead, I came across a touching farewell note from "Abdulwahab," a departing ambassador from Yemen.

This hacked message reveals something reassuring. More often than not, these messages are thoughtful, well written, and full of reflection and personal consideration. These are not angry tweets pounded out by shallow Twitterheads. Many of these messages are written by people who display grace and manners.

Herewith, Abdulwahab's Farewell Note:

Subject: Fw: goodbye
Farewell email from yemeni ambassador.
From: wajeeh58
Sent: Sunday, July 08, 2012 01:17 PM
To: ablinken; capriciamarshall
Abedin, Huma; fpandith
Subject: goodbye

My tenure as the ambassador of Yemen to the US has finally ended after fifteen long years. I have already left the US, and I am now in [- - -] and then I go to Yemen. . So, next time we meet, where ever in this universe, I will have no glamor. Stop calling me "your Excellency", I am not any more. That beautiful house I once occupied and used to celebrate life with all of you will now host ghosts until a new ambassador is appointed.

This will take time, since my president is in no rush, it seems. What a beautiful journey I had in DC, the most beautiful city on earth, with the most beautiful people. I am looking back at the whole experience and can only find joy, despite the tremendous challenge that came with the job. If time can go back to the past and I have a wish, it will be serving in DC, in the same capacity, at the same age, and will definitely be hanging out with you, no one else. I will be happy to re-live the same experience, maybe with just a little different last couple of years :-).

I will miss you all. I am excited I am finally changing jobs, but I am really sad I am leaving behind the best friendships I have ever built. I am especially sad to leave like this, with out saying proper goodbyes to the many friends I love. A habit I need to change maybe. But then, I know I will see you again soon wherever. You will always have a room in my house and you will have to come and visit.

Abdulwahab

"Adioses" ("Good-byes")

by Pablo Neruda
Goodbye, goodbye, to one place or another,
to every mouth, to every sorrow,
to the insolent moon, to weeks
which wound in the days and disappeared,
goodbye to this voice and that one stained
with amaranth, and goodbye
to the usual bed and plate,
to the twilit setting of all goodbyes,
to the chair that is part of the same twilight,
to the way made by my shoes.
I spread myself, no question;
I turned over whole lives,
changed skin, lamps, and hates,
it was something I had to do,
not by law or whim,
more of a chain reaction;
each new journey enchained me;
I took pleasure in places, in all places.
And, newly arrived, I promptly said goodbye
with still newborn tenderness
as if the bread were to open and suddenly
flee from the world of the table.
So I left behind all languages,
repeated goodbyes like an old door,
changed cinemas, reasons, and tombs,
left everywhere for somewhere else;
I went on being, and being always
half undone with joy,
a bridegroom among sadnesses,
never knowing how or when,
ready to return, never returning.
It's well known that he who returns never left,
so I traced and retraced my life,
changing clothes and planets,
growing used to the company,
to the great whirl of exile,
to the great solitude of bells tolling.
http://berkeleydailyplanet.com/issue...ad-Them-Online