Thursday, Jan. 23, 2003 10:24 a.m. EST
Hillary Tainted by Bin Laden Cash?
New York Sen. Hillary Clinton's household income for 2002 included $750,000 in payments from three Arab nations with ties to the 9/11 hijackers, including a $267,000 speaking fee from a group funded by the family of Osama bin Laden, NewsMax.com has learned.
In late January 2002, ex-president Bill Clinton traveled to bin Laden's hometown of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to address a group of Saudi businessmen. He was paid $267,000 for a 40-minute speech, according to a Jan. 25, 2002, report in The Middle East Newsfile, a British-based news service specializing in coverage of the region's business developments.
Contemporaneous reports in London's Financial Times revealed that the audience included representatives of the BinLadin Group, which helped fund the Jeddah forum. The BinLadin Group is a leading Saudi construction company run by relatives of the 9/11 terrorist mastermind. Osama bin Laden grew up in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah.
"The conference was dominated by the Saudis' desire to overcome the pressures of September 11 and strengthen U.S.-Saudi ties," the Times said. "The BinLadin Group, one of the forum's backers, has been battered by its association with Osama."
The Times also noted that the forum's "pro-western businessmen are also some of the kingdom's biggest donors and they give generously to Muslim charities out of religious duty. The U.S. believes some of the contributions were siphoned off by some charities to finance terrorism and it wants better control over donations."
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