While most mainstream media outlets have focused on Donald Trump’s damning hot mic tapes, news outlets have had a more muted response to WikiLeaks’s latest release which paint the Clinton family in a far more negative light. The mainstream media has been slow to pick up the WikiLeaks emails, but due to the lightning fast nature of the internet, outlets are unable to ignore these emails showing a distinctly Machiavellian bent within the Clinton family and their cohorts.
In 2011, Doug Band, co-founder and CEO of Teneo Holdings, Inc., sent several scathing emails to John Podesta and long-time aide Cheryl Mills complaining about workers’ poor treatment by Bill and Chelsea — with an emphasis on Chelsea’s poor behavior.
An email in which Clinton aide Mills suggested that Bill would “pay 100 percent” for a personal office within Teneo in exchange for power seems to have set Band off in a way that was quite unexpected.
In his response to Mills, he described having received a phone call from Clinton Foundation Chief Operating Officer Laura Graham, who was unable to reach her therapist or Band’s brother. She had been on Staten Island, parked next to the water’s edge “with her foot on the gas” and told Band she could not handle any more “office crap” from Bill or Chelsea Clinton, whom he referred to as WJC (William Jefferson Clinton) and CVC (Chelsea Victoria Clinton). He also mentioned Clinton Foundation board chairman Bruce Lindsey, who had also complained that Bill and Chelsea had been difficult to work with.
In the WikiLeaks emails, Band had some harsh words for Chelsea.
“But I’m sure Chelsea is more concerned with a mostly false story in the distinguished NY Post about MF Global and Teneo, not her role in what happened to Laura/Bruce, what she is doing to the organization, or the several of [sic] stories that have appeared in the NY Post about her father and a multitude of women over the years.”
He also expressed frustration that Bill’s involvement in Teneo would ultimately hurt the firm’s reputation and suggested that the former president have a “lower key” relationship with the firm that is more private.
The Washington Examiner notes that the WikiLeaks emails are not just damning to Chelsea and Bill Clinton’s characters, but also that Clinton’s involvement with Teneo “blurred” some boundaries.
“The leaked emails … suggest the lines between Teneo, the foundation and Bill Clinton’s personal office were blurred.”
Chelsea had attempted to use her father’s name on several occasions to gain leverage in the firm without Band’s knowledge, which appears to have angered him.
According to his bio on Teneo’s website, Band started working for President Bill Clinton in 1995 in the White House Counsel’s office. He then served as President’s Aide , Special Assistant to the President and then Deputy Assistant. After Clinton left office, Band then served as the former president’s chief advisor from 2002 until 2012 in an advisory role.
Another WikiLeaks release reveals that Band was not at all impressed with Chelsea Clinton, calling her a “spoiled brat” who lacked focus and direction. CNN quotes Band as saying he did not deserve to be treated so poorly by Chelsea, who apparently was attempting to undermine his authority.
“I don’t deserve this from her and deserve a tad more respect or at least a direct dialogue for me to explain these things. She is acting like a spoiled brat kid who has nothing else to do but create issues to justify what she’s doing because she, as she has said, hasn’t found her way and has a lack of focus in her life.”
The WikiLeaks emails concerning the DNC, the Clinton Foundation, and various employees and staffers of the Clinton family illustrate a troubling pattern of using money to gain power. Granted, Donald Trump and Mike Pence have their own set of issues, making them a clearly unpalatable choice. However, the latest WikiLeaks revelations should give anyone pause before contemplating voting for Hillary.
[Featured Image by Saul Loeb/AP Images]