The Valley Chronicle - LETTERS TO THE EDITOR - June 8, 2017ng

Democrats aren’t sore losers

Dear Editor, Nancy Eller’s letter of June 1 made me aware of just how blind some folks can be when it comes to politics. Contrary to what Ms. Eller thinks, we Democrats aren’t sore and just being upset about losing the election. On the contrary, we are appalled by the arrogance of our current commander in chief. Trump is a proven liar, a misogynist and someone totally unfit to lead this country. He is doing his best to alienate long term allies of this country while playing footsie with the likes of Putin and Saudi Arabia’s royals. If given his way, Trump would eliminate freedom of the press for all other than Fox News. If Ms. Eller wishes to live in a country where the leaders ban democracy, then she might consider spending some time in Russia, or any of the nations in the Middle East that stifle free speech.

Sincerely, Les Lyon, Hemet

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Did Comey profit from Clinton Foundation?

Dear Editor,

Until a few weeks ago, James Comey was serving as director of the FBI. His salary was approximately $185,000, his net worth about $11 million – $5 million in stocks and $3 million in an estate in Connecticut. He was appointed to head the FBI by President Obama in July 2013. Prior to his FBI appointment, Comey served as legal counsel for Bridgewater Associates, a hedge fund, and was senior vice president, general counsel for defense contractor Lockheed Martin from 2005-2010. Most of his wealth was earned from these two organizations, and he reportedly was paid $6 million by Lockheed Martin during his last year with the defense contractor. Comey, a respected former prosecutor, came under criticism during the FBI’s investigation of Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server to conduct U.S. State Department business. Comey disapproved of the use of a personal server by the former first lady and declared she likely had mishandled classified information. Nevertheless, he recommended that she not be criminally charged because, he said, there was no “intent” to break the law. Those in the Trump campaign howled, but Comey’s boss, Attorney General Loretta Lynch, agreed to abide by the FBI’s recommendation. As it turns out, however, as detailed by Breitbart News and other sources, Comey had longstanding connections with the Clintons through the Clinton Foundation, a charitable organization that many have claimed was a pay-for-play charity leveraging the Clintons’ political prestige and some say was even used as the Clintons’ personal piggy bank. With a seat on the board of HSBC Holdings, an international bank and financial services organization with headquarters in London, Comey would have been instrumental, or at least aware of HSBC’s contributions to the Clinton Foundation. With financial backing from HSBC and Deutsche Bank, the Foundation was behind a plan to rehabilitate some 1500-2500 mid-range housing units in New York for improved energy efficiency. The projected cost? Up to $1 billion. During Comey’s last year with Lockheed Martin in 2010, the company also made a commitment to the Clinton Foundation in the area of sustainable environmental practices. That same year, Lockheed Martin sought, and received, 17 approvals from the Clinton State Department for overseas contracts. According to Breitbart, Comey’s brother, Peter, is a senior executive with DLA Piper, the Washington D.C. law firm that conducted an independent audit of the Clinton Foundation. Also, Comey holds the mortgage on his brother’s home. None of this surfaced during Comey’s vetting after he was nominated by President Obama. Furthermore, it seems that Comey’s association with the Clintons goes back even farther, all the way to Whitewater days. Comey was deputy special counsel to the Senate Whitewater Committee investigating the Clintons on allegations they took part in a fraud involving an Arkansas real estate venture that went bust. No charges ever were filed against the Clintons, though 15 others were convicted on a series of 40 crimes. After President Clinton pardoned one of the co-conspirators, Marc Rich, an investigation was launched of the pardon, an investigation federal prosecutor Comey eventually dropped when he took over the case from Mary Jo White. In the email server case, Comey recommended that Hillary Clinton not be charged with mishandling classified information, and his boss, Lynch, agreed to support his decision. Ironically, Lynch met privately with former President Bill Clinton in Phoenix in June 2016 after both found themselves on the same airport tarmac. The meeting raised questions about whether the independence of the Justice Department might have been compromised when it was conducting an investigation into Hillary’s private email server. Interestingly, Lynch formerly worked for the law firm of Hogan and Hogan, which also represented MX Logic (now McAfee), a firm used as a backup to Hillary’s private server after she left office. While there is no evidence to date that Comey ever profited from his association with either the Clintons or the Clinton Foundation, there are enough coincidences to suggest that the firms he served may very well have and thus Comey would have indirectly. It’s also evident that he let Hillary slip through the noose on several occasions. It’s going to take a more proactive media and Congress to ensure that lawbreakers at the highest level of government are made accountable, something we clearly didn’t see during the previous administration.

Bob Haunschild, Hemet

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Cleaning up Weston Park only shifts the problem

Dear Editor, It seems to me that when they clean up one park, all that is happening is they go to other parts of the city until pushed to other areas. It’s a cat and mouse game. Nothing has really changed. Slap them on the hands and waste taxpayers money on feeding and housing them for a few days, then back out on the streets they go. The crime has not lessened, only less being reported in the paper to make the city “look better.” Sincerely,

Carrol Argyle,

Hemet

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We need a Costco

Dear Editor, If I could select any business to come to the valley, it would be Costco. We have nothing like it here. It would create a tremendous amount of tax revenue and it would keep more buyers within the valley. The shopping in Hemet/San Jacinto has improved throughout the years. However, many people leave the valley for shopping at a store such as Costco or even Sam’s Club. Thus, our tax dollars are leaving the valley. It would be so much more convenient than driving to Temecula or Moreno Valley as we now do. Sincerely,

Lee and Greta Tuominen,

Hemet