The conservative watchdog Freedom Watch has filed a racketeering lawsuit against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, claiming she operated a "criminal enterprise" by using personal email servers to sell access to other officials in return for donations to the Clinton Foundation.
The civil suit, filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, also lists Bill Clinton and the Clinton Foundation as defendants. It alleges that both Bill and Hillary Clinton "systematically and continuously ... conducted a corrupt enterprise" under the definition of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), reported The Hill.
Freedom Watch says that the Clintons "arranged and implemented the sale of influence and access to U.S. Government officials and decision-makers and official acts by State and other instrumentalities of the U.S. Government in return for gratuitous and illegal payments - bribes - disguised as donations" to the foundation.
The suit also alleges that Hillary Clinton failed to comply with a Freedom of Information At Request for documents that would, according to the suit, prove that Clinton gave State Department waivers to companies or individuals doing business with Iran, which could have undermined U.S.-imposed sanctions, reported The Hill. Freedom Works claims the Clintons used their private email system to ignore multiple FOIA requests.
"Plaintiff has filed many Freedom of Information Act requests for public records created or held by the U.S. Department of State... which records are of the public interest and importance to the citizens of the United States. ... As it has now been revealed, a primary reason that the plaintiff did not receive the records to which the plaintiff is entitled by law is that Defendant Hillary Clinton - upon information and belief together with Cheryl Mills and Defendant Bill Clinton and other Clinton 'loyalists' - set up a private computer file server operating a private, stand-alone electronic mail system," the suit says.
Clinton's "off the books" email system was an intentional and calculate attempt to steal public documents for personal financial gain, the suit alleges.
"Using those concealed communications held on the private email server, upon information and belief, the defendants negotiated, arranged and implemented the sale of influence and access to U.S. government officials and decision-makers and official acts by State and other instrumentalities of the U.S. government in return for gratuitous and illegal payments - bribes - disguised as donations to defendant The Clinton Foundation and extraordinarily high speaking fees paid to Defendant Bill Clinton and Defendant Hillary Clinton," the complaint says.
Larry Klayman, founder of Freedom Watch, launched dozens of lawsuits against Bill Clinton's administration during his presidency, noted The Hill.
"What Hillary Clinton, her husband, and their foundation have done is nothing new," Klayman said in a statement. "It is simply part of a criminal enterprise which dates back at least 10 years, all designed to enrich themselves personally at the expense of the American people and our nation. It's time, however, that they finally be held legally accountable."
Earlier this month, Clinton admitted that she had exclusively used a private email address and a private email server to conduct federal business during her tenure as secretary of state. Clinton said that she deleted 30,000 emails deemed personal in nature, and turned the remaining business-related emails over to the State Department.
House Republicans criticized her for a lack of transparency, and the House committee investigating the 2012 Benghazi attacks called for Clinton to allow an independent arbiter to examine her server.
