by Roger Stone
CHAPTER 24
URANIUM ONE
“I hope that the US media can start to focus on the real challenges of the world and US society. Focus on poverty, homelessness, infrastructure, health care, education, or fractious world politics. You are a great country.”
—Frank Giustra, Canadian mining tycoon/Clinton crony549
The name Frank Giustra has popped up before in dealings and donations with the Clinton Foundation. Giustra is a Canadian mining executive whose company UrAsia Energy sought mining concessions from Kazakhstan. According to the New York Times, former president Clinton, Frank Giustra, and Kazakhstan dictator Nursultan Nazarbeyev met in 2005 and concluded a deal for the transfer of uranium assets to UrAsia Energy.
In 2009, Mukhtar Dzhakishev, a Kazakh official intimately involved in the transfer, claimed that then Senator Hillary Clinton put the screws to the Kazakhs, threatening to cancel an important diplomatic meeting unless a deal was reached. Dzhakishev said that Kazakh Prime Minister Karim Massimov “was in America and needed to meet with Hillary Clinton but this meeting was cancelled. And they said that those investors connected with the Clintons who were working in Kazakhstan have problems. Until Kazakhstan solved those problems, there would be no meeting, and all manner of measures would be taken.”550
Months after the deal, Giustra transferred $31.1 million to the Clinton Foundation and announced a multi-year commitment to donate $100 million to the foundation, as well as half of the future profits.
In addition to Giustra, the New York Times confirmed that a host of Clinton Foundation donors were connected to the uranium deal, including:
• Frank Holmes, a shareholder in the deal who donated between $250,000 and $500,000 (the Clinton Foundation doesn’t report exact amounts, only in ranges) and is a Clinton Foundation adviser
• Neil Woodyer, Frank Giustra’s colleague who founded Endeavor Financial and pledged $500,000 as well as promises of “ongoing financial support”
• Robert Disbrow, a Haywood Securities broker, the firm that provided “$58 million in capital to float shares of UrAsia’s private placement,” gave the Clintons’ family foundation between $1 and $5 million, according to Clinton Cash
• Paul Reynolds, a Canaccord Capital, Inc., executive who donated between $1 million and $5 million. “The UrAsia deal was the largest in Canaccord’s history,” reports Schweizer
• GMP Securities Ltd., a UrAsia Energy shareholder that pledged to donate a portion of its profits to the Clinton Foundation
• Robert Cross, a major shareholder who serves as UrAsia energy director who pledged portions of his future income to the Clinton Foundation
• Egizio Blanchini, “the Capital Markets vice chair and Global co head of BMO’s Global Metals and Mining group, had also been an underwriter on the mining deals. BMO paid $600,000 for two tables at the CGS-GI’s March 2008 benefit”
• Sergei Kurzin, the Russian rainmaker involved in the Kazakhstan uranium deal and a shareholder in UrAsia Energy, also pledged $1 million to the foundation
• Uranium One chairman Ian Telfer committed $2.35 million
Following the acquisition by Giustra, UrAsia Energy began to merge with the company Uranium One. In 2009, the Russian state-owned energy company, Rosatom, began purchasing large stakes in Uranium One. In 2010, Rosatom purchased 51 percent of Uranium One, a $610 million transaction that required approved by Hillary Clinton’s State Department.
In April of 2015, the New York Times ran an article titled “Cash flowed to Clinton Foundation amid Russian Uranium Deal.” The article recounted an earlier piece published in January 2013, on the Russian website Pravda, which detailed how Rosatom had taken over a Canadian company with uranium mining holdings stretching from Central Asia to the American West.551 The deal may sound innocuous, but the takeover gave the Russians control over 1/5 of the uranium mining in North America. That the Russians have control of any uranium mining in North America is unthinkable, when one considers uranium a primary material in the manufacture of nuclear weapons. Rosatom is now one of the world’s largest uranium producers and Russian President Vladimir Putin is much closer to having a monopoly on much of the world’s uranium.
“Experts consider highly enriched uranium the terrorists’ nuclear explosive of choice,” wrote Douglas Birch and R. Jeffrey Smith in the Washington Post. “A bomb’s worth could fit in a five-pound sack and emit so little radiation that it could be carried around in a backpack with little hazard to the wearer. Physicists say a sizable nuclear blast could be readily achieved by slamming two shaped chunks of it together at high speed.”552
Because uranium is considered a U.S. strategic asset with implications for national security, this deal had to be approved by a several U.S. government agencies, including the State Department.
It’s no surprise that Hillary Clinton also served on the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), which evaluates investment transactions that might have a direct effect on U.S. national security. When the CFIUS approved of the deal in 2010 it was projected that half of the uranium output would be in the hands of the Russians by 2015.553
Senator Rand Paul, running on the 2016 GOP platform, has suggested that former secretary of state Clinton should be investigated for her role in what is a shady and dangerous deal. Paul is also pushing for a Congressional investigation as well.554 Why is Paul seeking an investigation of Clinton for a Russian-Canadian uranium purchase deal? Because as confirmed by the New York Times, at the same time the purchase deal went through, investors whom would profit from the deal “donated” an astounding $145 million to the Clinton Foundation!
These donations occurred at the same time former president Clinton was paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in speaking fees by Kremlin-connected businesses. Included in the donations were $2.35 million in hidden contributions from Canadian Ian Telfer, chairman of Uranium One.
“There is every appearance that Hillary Clinton was bribed to grease the sale of, what, 20 percent of America’s uranium production to Russia, and then it was covered up by lying about a meeting at her home with the principals, and by erasing emails,” Mitt Romney said. “And you know, I presume we might know for sure whether there was or was not bribery if she hadn’t wiped out thousands of emails. But this is a very, very serious series of facts, and it looks like bribery.”555
Those contributions were not disclosed to the Obama White House publicly. This was a direct violation of the agreement that Hillary made with the Obama administration. This is not only dangerous, it is treasonous. Rosatom is one of Putin’s gems, used to show the power and might of Russia.
“Much of Rosatom’s success can be ascribed to the strong support provided by the Russian government,” Hannah Thoburn reported. “Moscow recognized roughly ten to fifteen years ago that Rosatom’s work enables Russia to add another energy-related means of extending its long-term political influence throughout the world. Unlike oil or gas projects, Russia’s nuclear developments need not be in neighboring countries or even in its region—a fact that broadens the Kremlin’s investment options.”556
As the New York Times reported, “Amid this influx of Uranium One–connected money, Mr. Clinton was invited to speak in Moscow in June 2010, the same month Rosatom struck its deal for a majority stake in Uranium One.”
The Times added that “The $500,000 fee—among Mr. Clinton’s highest—was paid by Renaissance Capital, a Russian investment bank with ties to the Kremlin.”
CHAPTER 25
HIRED HANDS
“If something’s on the other side of a brick wall and the Clintons need it, she’ll find a way to get to it: over, around, or through.”
—an anonymous White House source speaking about Clinton consigliere Cheryl Mills557
The story of Doug Band’s rise to become Clinton’s gatekeeper is a tale of a premeditated obsession with power and greed, by any means necessary. A visit by Bill Clinton way back in 1992 to a campus must have flashed in young Ban
d’s brain like an atom bomb. Band came to Washington, DC, in 1995 and interned in the Clinton White House. Band tried hard to ingratiate himself with anyone in Clinton’s office, learning the names of even the lowliest workers. He was considered to be on the bottom rung. In the next five years, Band worked his way up the chain to become Clinton’s “body man.” Among presidential aides, the “body man” is often referred to dismissively as “the butt boy.” Band, however, was positioning himself in the very position that gave him the most access to his target. Band observed that “It’s a strange and surreal existence to be both the least important guy in the room and at the same time, the person that spends the most time with the President of the United States.” According to Band, “Heads of State and corporations throughout the world know you by your first name, because, wherever the President is, that’s where you are.” Soon, those very same heads of state would realize that if you wanted an audience with the President of the United States, you would have to go through Doug Band. If someone wanted to talk with Clinton, Doug had the power to grant the interview for a price, or not. This quickly became a financial “cash cow.”
After Clinton left the White House, Band was there to distract the ex-president from the depression that engulfed him. They quickly became inseparable and Bill cherished his new found “best friend.” He was with Clinton at his bedside during his heart bypass surgery in 2004. Band developed an uncanny sense about his master and seemingly could read his body language down to the minutest detail. He could tell when his boss was in a mood to receive guests or not. He would know when it was the right time for Mr. Clinton to rest or read, and he told his boss so. Clinton relied on Band’s “mothering” and allowed Band to take total control over his scheduling, including appointments, dinner engagements, social events, even scheduling visits with Hillary. Without ever actually asking Clinton who he would grant an audience with, Band became the gatekeeper for all things Clinton and thus he became the most powerful person in his life. When Band called someone for any reason, they automatically assumed it was on behalf of the former president.
Band often used “us,” or “we” in his phrasing, subtly deepening a client’s perceived notions about Band and Clinton. Band soon started presenting his own opinions and choices as if they were Clinton’s, and nobody challenged it. According to former White House chief of staff John Podesta, “The President gets a zillion requests to do stuff, and Doug is the guy who has the power to say no to nine hundred and ninety nine percent.” Towards the end of Clinton’s second term, Band was offered a position at Goldman Sachs and turned it down. Clinton was fully hooked by the ever crafty Doug Band.
In July of 2001, when Clinton opened an office in Harlem, Band was there to engage any needs, business or otherwise that his master had. In reality, Band had now seemed more like the master. Band soon was elevated from trusted aide to essential companion, staying with Clinton around the clock. It wasn’t all serious business for the pair. Being Clinton’s best buddy had its perks. One of which was Doug’s entrance into Clinton’s billionaire boys’ club and other post-presidential social circles. Soon the two were jet-setting around the globe from one party to the next. Supermarket mogul Ron Burkle supplied his Boeing 757 to the pair after he took Clinton on as a partner. The massive plane was dubbed “Air Fuck One!” Band was now considering himself an equal to Bill and acted as such. His influence with the ex-president was known and acknowledged by all. His position was so strong that when in 2004 Hillary’s former chief of staff Maggie Williams, at Hillary’s request, informed Band that he had to leave, Band, backed by Bill, refused to go!
At some point Band hit upon the idea of turning Clinton’s power to bring people together into a money-making enterprise, one in which Doug Band was the man with power to grant face time with Bill. Band already knew that dozens of CEO’s and millionaires wanted to present Clinton with various money-making enterprises. What could be better that having an ex-president as a spokesperson for your company? Certainly Bill had a charm and a way with bringing opposing sides together. It was Bill’s soft Arkansas drawl that disarmed even the most rigid temperament. Clinton was ready for an image remake, and Band was just the guy to do it. It was to this end that in 2005 the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) was conceived and born.
Most charities dispense money. Not the CGI. Instead, it acted to bring corporations together, with Clinton as partner to solve problems of a global nature. In the past eight years, CGI has secured pledges worth $74 billion. Clinton’s bruised ego was now a thing of the past and he had his best buddy, Doug Band, to thank. The setting became a series of one-on-one meetings between billionaires and celebrities. For example, he might get $30 million from Dow Chemical to finance clean water utilities in India, or $100 million for small businesses in developing countries in Africa. Through these initiatives, Bill Clinton was reborn in the eyes of the world. From a lying womanizer and sex deviant to the humanitarian of unequaled position. With Clinton’s new persona and old connections, corporations like Dow or Coca Cola would come to him for advice, and who was the man in control? Who had the power to determine who got to be on stage with Bill, and for how long? Who would get to ride on the plane? And who got to be in the photo shoots? Doug Band. Band saw the entrepreneurial opportunities embedded within CGI. He was the one who kept tabs and cut deals.
Band flourished under these conditions, buying a $2.1 million condo in the Metropolitan Tower, one of the swankiest real estate locations in New York. For Band, whose salary was a modest $100,000 a year, this was something of a miracle. In reality, Band had been supplementing his income for some time, receiving payments from Burkle’s Yucaipa company through a Florida company Band had set up named SGRD. There were other signs that Band had been working independently while using his position with Clinton. When a company wanted Clinton to speak at a conference, Band explained that the company should pay a certain sum to Clinton’s speaker’s agency, as well as pay him for having made this happen, and in addition, donate a sum to Clinton’s CGI. Band, controlling the gate, was letting people of questionable backgrounds gain access to Clinton. One such person was Victor Dahdaleh, a London business man who donated around $5 million to the foundation in 2010.
Probably the most embarrassing association was with Italian business man Raffaello Follieri. Making a big splash in New York’s social scene by dating actress Anne Hathaway, Follieri let it be known that he was interested in writing a generous check to Clinton’s foundation. Follieri claimed that he had been delegated by the Vatican to develop some of the Catholic Church’s choicest North American properties to help offset the cost of defending the church in sex scandal cases. During a meeting with Band and Burkle, Follieri somehow managed to get Burkle to put in as much as $105 million in Follieri’s church deal. Through another Clinton contact supplied by Band, another $6 million was added to the church development scheme. The donor was Michael Cooper, head of Toronto-based Dundee Realty Corporation. After this investment, Follieri wired $400,000 to Band via one of his partnerships. Band claimed the money was a finders fee for making the introduction and that Follieri insisted on it. According to Band, he sent an invoice to Follieri for the $400,000, which he claims Follieri never paid. At the 2006 CGI summit, Clinton publicly announced that Follieri would fund an effort to provide Hep A vaccines to 10,000 Honduran children to the tune of $50 million. Neither the $400,000 or the $50 million were ever fulfilled. On top of that Follieri was sued by Burkle’s company for misappropriating $1.3 million for his personal use. Follieri had spent the money living a lavish lifestyle while bragging to friends of his close ties to Clinton via Doug Band. This fiasco created embarrassment for Clinton. Still, he did not abandon his friend.
It was around this time that Band set up a company of his own. With all his Clinton connections in his arsenal, he launched Teneo, offering investment banking, restructuring advice, and business intelligence when dealing with “global disruptors.” Teneo resembled an extension of Band’s relationship with C
linton and in fact took Clinton on as a paid advisor. A number of Teneo clients were also closely involved with Clinton’s foundation. The Rockefeller Foundation gave Teneo a $3.4 million contract to propose “tangible solutions to global problems.” Pretty good for a new company. Teneo’s monthly fees are as high as $250,000. All things were not well, for in 2011, it emerged that the company had been paid $125,000 per month in consulting fees by MF Global, the brokerage firm that lost $600 million of its investors’ money. Hillary was upset. There were conflict of interest problems with Teneo’s overseas clients and Hillary’s work in the State Department.
In 2012, Bill announced he would no longer accept payments from Teneo. This had been a problematic situation for some time. Band was working for Clinton, and at the same time, Clinton was working for Teneo (Band). Teneo’s rise to the top was based on Band’s connection to Clinton, which had started long ago, and which everyone knew was the only reason Teneo was ever successful. Band had been milking his friendship with Bill for his own personal standing and importance. Clinton was getting wind of these conflicts and finding out that Band had been saying that Clinton supported prospective clients to use Teneo for their business dealings. When Clinton went to Ireland to speak, Declan Kelly, also speaking, turned to Clinton and said that it was Teneo who brought Clinton to Ireland. Clinton went ashen! He was furious. Clinton continued to receive reports about the demands that Band had set in place. The donors had been convinced by Band that Clinton gave his full support to the outrageous financial demands that were being levied on them. Many left with a bitter taste in their mouths and a feeling that they were being extorted.
As Band’s relationship with Clinton deteriorated, Band tried desperately to show the world that he was still in charge of Bill Clinton. In September 2011, the Obama White House let it be known that they would be agreeable to Clinton’s participation in Obama’s reelection campaign. Clinton was thrilled that Obama wanted to deploy him to their advantage. This seemed like a simple enough deal, until Band stepped in. He demanded that Obama’s team help pay off Hillary’s 2008 campaign debt as a condition of Bill’s assistance. He objected to some of the locations that Obama wanted Clinton to visit. People in the Obama campaign got word to Clinton that Band had gone too far and he was “poison.” Eventually the Clinton foundation stopped paying him, although he remained on its advisory board until mere weeks before Hillary kicked off her campaign when he quietly left. Insiders speculated that the addition of Chelsea to the foundation, whom many saw as inexperienced and tyrannical, ultimately ended Band’s days with the company.558 These days Clinton and Band rarely see or speak to one another. One wonders what Doug Band’s role, if any, may be in Hillary’s presidential campaign. Band is the man who knows too much. He could no doubt reveal information both strikingly damaging and illuminating.