Clinton official pleads guilty to treason for China collusion
By David Bright | The BL 20:46, 25 Apr 2019
Former President Bill Clinton, left, and former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton wave at the crowd as they arrive on stage for "An Evening with the Clintons," at the Beacon Theatre Thursday, April 11, 2019, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
A Clinton appointee pleaded guilty to treason charges after she was indicted by a federal grand jury for colluding with foreign agents.
According to a Department of Justice’s press release, Candace Marie Claiborne, who worked under both Hillary and Bill Clinton, pleaded guilty to conspire to defraud the U.S. government, hide contact with foreign spies, obstruct an official trial, and make false statements to the FBI.
Claiborne, a 60-year-old veteran employee of the State Department, had a top secret security clearance and hid her extensive contacts with Chinese intelligence officers.
The indictment shows that Chinese spies lavished Claiborne as part of a pay-for-play scheme with thousands of dollars in gifts. Chinese spies also paid Claiborne with holidays, an apartment, Apple electronics, and tuition to a Chinese fashion school in addition to cash payments.
According to court documents, Claiborne said the benefits could generate more than $ 20,000 a year working for Chinese agents. In exchange, she provided them with data from the U.S. economic strategies to visits by dignitaries between the two countries, according to Washington Times.
Assistant Attorney General John Demers said that the 63-year-old Washington resident “traded her integrity and non-public information of the United States government in exchange for cash and other gifts from foreign agents she knew worked for the Chinese intelligence service.”
Suggesting that she learned tricks from her former boss, Hillary Clinton, Claiborne also told her co-conspirators to remove all emails and evidence after U.S. federal officials broke them.
Below is a DOJ statement and indictment on Claiborne:
“Candace Marie Claiborne is a U.S. State Department employee who possesses a Top Secret security clearance and allegedly failed to report her contacts with Chinese foreign intelligence agents who provided her with thousands of dollars of gifts and benefits. Claiborne used her position and her access to sensitive diplomatic data for personal profit. Pursuing those who imperil our national security for personal gain will remain a key priority of the National Security Division.”
“Candace Claiborne is charged with obstructing an official proceeding and making false statements in connection with her alleged concealment and failure to report her improper connections to foreign contacts along with the tens of thousands of dollars in gifts and benefits they provided. As a State Department employee with a Top Secret clearance, she received training and briefing about the need for caution and transparency. This case demonstrates that U.S. government employees will be held accountable for failing to honor the trust placed in them when they take on such sensitive assignments”
“Candace Claiborne is accused of violating her oath of office as a State Department employee, who was entrusted with Top Secret information when she purposefully mislead federal investigators about her significant and repeated interactions with foreign contacts. The FBI will continue to investigate individuals who, though required by law, fail to report foreign contacts, which is a key indicator of potential insider threats posed by those in positions of public trust.”
In 1999, when former President Bill Clinton was in office, Claiborne started working as an Office Management Specialist for the State Department.
She worked until her indictment at the State Department, including when Hillary Clinton served as State Secretary between 2009 and 2012.
