Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State and Past Donors … Conflict of Interest, Quid Pro Quo … Developer Robert J. Congel?

Every one wants to focus on Blago-gate and the “pay for Senate seat” scandal that has rocked Democrat Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and his brazen attempt at profiteering. The quid pro quo that is being alleged and has now created impeachment proceedings against the Illinois governor. The question that really needs to be answered is if these types of dealings are commonplace and Blagojevich just got caught.

Politics dealings in states and at the federal level seem to be a cross between the “cockroach theory” and the principle of “pigs get fat and hogs get slaughtered.”

This leads us to Hillary Clinton and the recent disclosures of the donors to the Clinton Library. What about Hillary Clinton and her what all but seems to be quid pro quo donations for favoritism? An upstate New York developer, Robert J. Congel, donated $100,000 to President Bill Clinton’s foundation shortly after Senator Hillary Clinton helped secure a provision in a highway bill that set aside $5 million for Destiny USA roadway construction.

An upstate New York developer donated $100,000 to former President Bill Clinton’s foundation in November 2004, around the same time that Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton helped secure millions of dollars in federal assistance for the businessman’s mall project.

Mrs. Clinton helped enact legislation allowing the developer, Robert J. Congel, to use tax-exempt bonds to help finance the construction of the Destiny USA entertainment and shopping complex, an expansion of the Carousel Center in Syracuse.

Mrs. Clinton also helped secure a provision in a highway bill that set aside $5 million for Destiny USA roadway construction.

The bill with the tax-free bonds provision became law in October 2004, weeks before the donation, and the highway bill with the set-aside became law in August 2005, about nine months after the donation.

Of course developer Robert J. Congel denied any wrong doing or connection, what is he going to do admit to a crime? Investigation into past library donors has seemingly turned up some Clinton dirty business.  I guess it’s a mere coincidence that a major Republican fund raiser in 2004, a “Bush Ranger,” who gathering more than $200,000 in bundled contributions for the Bush-Cheney re-election effort would donate to Democrat Bill Clinton’s library. I guess he did so out of the mere goodness of his heart.

Mr. Congel and Philippe Reines, a spokesman for Mrs. Clinton, both said there was no connection between his donation and her legislative work on his project’s behalf. Mr. Reines said Mrs. Clinton supported the expansion of Carousel mall “purely as part of her unwavering commitment to improving upstate New York’s struggling economy, and nothing more.”