Is the Obama Justice Department Protecting Hillary’s Friends and Aides

We have written here, here, and here about possible illegal or at least unethical ties between Hillary Clinton aides and friends and foreign governments/companies.  Turns out, Senate Judiciary Chairman Charles Grassley was inquiring about yet another example with the Justice Department over a year ago.  In a April 22, 2015 letter Senator Grassley wrote:

According to recent news reports, it appears that Mr. Sidney Blumenthal, a self-described “advisor” to the Clinton Foundation, and Mr. John Kornblum, a lawyer working for the opposition party in Georgia, attempted to influence Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and potentially the President, on behalf of a foreign entity.  News reports indicate that Mr. Kornblum passed along a personal letter to Secretary Clinton via Mr. Blumenthal from Mr. Bidzina Ivanishvili, the leader of the opposition Georgian Dream.  In that letter, Mr. Ivanishvili requested Secretary Clinton’s support for Georgian Dream, which was opposing the sitting Georgian government in an upcoming election. Notably, the letter states, “Our nation is still controlled by single-party institutions in the hands of a leader who rejects the most basic principle of democracy – that he must someday leave office…” and “…[t]he government of Mikheil Saakashvili is using every method available to it to undermine the election process.” 

The letter ends with Mr. Ivanishvili asking for Secretary Clinton’s help.

In their recent response the Department of Justice seemingly said there was little they could do and would do.  Remember this letter was over a year before the recent incidents have surfaced.  As Senator Grassley’s office stated yesterday in a news release:  

The Justice Department recently acknowledged that it relies on publicly available material and “voluntary compliance” with records requests when determining whether representatives of foreign entities are required to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). The Justice Department said it lacks the authority to compel potential FARA registrants to produce records that may indicate their obligation to disclose their activity on behalf of a foreign government or entity while working to influence U.S. public policy.

This seems to be saying that the Obama Justice Department could care less and is not going to anything about violations of FARA, at least by friends of Hillary.  Even if the Hillary Clinton-led State Department was effectively for sale through her aides and confidantes.