New Delhi: Pushing allegations of cash donations having swept her decision on the India-US nuclear deal, Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign has dismissed the claims as a conspiracy theory.
“Clinton Cash is attempting to rewrite history to fit a pre-determined partisan narrative,” Clinton campaign spokesman Josh Schwerin told an influential political news site.
“It only takes a quick look at Hillary’s actual voting record and statements to see that this conspiracy theory doesn’t even come close to passing the smell test,” the campaign manager was quoted as saying Wednesday.
The website said it has obtained a chapter relating to India from the book, “Clinton Cash: The Untold Story of How and Why Foreign Governments and Businesses Help Make Bill and Hillary Rich” by author Peter Schweizer, due for release on May 5.
The chapter, titled, “Indian Nukes: How to Win a Medal by Changing Hillary’s Mind,” details a series of donations and overtures from Indians who supported the nuclear deal to the Clintons, the website said.
“While Clinton’s stance toward India evolved over the years, a review of then-Senator Clinton’s statements and votes while the Indian nuclear deal was under debate shows that two key facts in Schweizer’s argument on the topic are false,” it acknowledged, Clinton actually publicly stated her support for the deal in 2006 and in fact voted against a “killer amendment” that the book reports she supported, Schweizer writes in the chapter that in 2006, “Hillary was still a reluctant and questionable supporter of the bill.”
But in June of that year Clinton, a founding member of the Senate India caucus, issued a press release announcing her intention to vote for the legislation, and praising Senators Richard Lugar and Joe Biden, who she said improved upon the Bush administration’s initial proposal.
“As India continues to grow stronger and to shoulder more of the responsibilities that come with being a leading nation in the world, we must continue to work towards greater cooperation with our Indian friends to deal with our common challenges in security, energy, economics and health,” she was quoted as writing.
“I hope that this agreement is just the first step on that journey that our countries, and our people, will take together.”
Â