{"id":2211577,"date":"2024-04-02T16:06:02","date_gmt":"2024-04-02T20:06:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/john-podesta-hosted-longtime-patron-at-white-house-visitor-logs-show\/"},"modified":"2024-04-02T16:06:44","modified_gmt":"2024-04-02T20:06:44","slug":"john-podesta-hosted-longtime-patron-at-white-house-visitor-logs-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/john-podesta-hosted-longtime-patron-at-white-house-visitor-logs-show\/","title":{"rendered":"John Podesta welcomed a loyal supporter at the White House, as revealed by visitor logs"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fjohn-podesta-hosted-longtime-patron-at-white-house-visitor-logs-show%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2211577&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The White House\u200c climate czar, John Podesta, \u2063recently met \u2064with the head of an environmentalist group funded\u2064 by \u2064a foreign billionaire. This encounter has raised concerns regarding ethical implications and \u200bforeign influence in U.S. policies. Podesta&#8217;s history of providing high-level \u2064access to wealthy patrons has drawn scrutiny from government watchdog groups. \u2064Concerns have been \u2063raised about ethical \u2064implications and foreign \u2062influence in U.S. policies after White House climate czar John Podesta met with the\u2062 leader of \u200dan \u200cenvironmental group \u2063funded \u2063by a foreign\u2063 billionaire.\u2064 Podesta&#8217;s practice of granting high-level access to wealthy supporters is under scrutiny by government watchdog groups.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>White House climate czar John Podesta recently met with the head of an environmentalist group bankrolled by a foreign billionaire whose foundation paid Podesta tens of thousands of dollars, the latest example of Podesta granting high-level access to one of his wealthy patrons.<\/p>\n<p>According to the visitor records, Podesta met on Nov. 16 with Molly McUsic, the president of the Wyss Foundation and Berger Action Fund, bankrolled by reclusive Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss. As a foreign national, Wyss is prohibited from donating directly to political candidates. Nevertheless, Wyss has become one the Democratic Party\u2019s most influential forces, thanks to the tens of millions of dollars he gives each year to liberal advocacy groups and others to help elect Democrats.<\/p>\n<p>The Wyss Foundation, formerly known as the HJW Foundation, paid Podesta $87,000 for consulting services in 2013, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/s3.documentcloud.org\/documents\/1227013\/john-podesta-white-house-financial-disclosure-form.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">financial disclosures<\/a>. In 2022, Podesta <a href=\"https:\/\/s.insidebidensbasement.org\/live\/hb2T9anuppRlDZ\/jIHzRan0PzPYq4\/John-Podesta-oge-278e.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">disclosed<\/a> income of at least $5,000 consulting for the HJW Foundation. Wyss was one of the largest donors to the Center for American Progress, the liberal think tank Podesta launched in 2002. McUsic has served on the board of the Center for American Progress\u2019s action fund.<\/p>\n<p>Podesta\u2019s meeting with McUsic, a longtime Wyss lieutenant, creates serious ethics concerns, according to government watchdog groups.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Americans should be alarmed at this unprecedented foreign access and deserve to know how U.S. policy is being influenced by a reclusive foreign national,&#8221; said Caitlin Sutherland, the executive director of Americans for Public Trust, a conservative watchdog group. Sutherland noted that Wyss once <a href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearpolitics.com\/articles\/2022\/05\/17\/swiss_billionaires_mega-influence_on_us_politics__147610.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bragged<\/a> about having &#8220;indirect contacts in Washington and in the White House.&#8221; According to a biography of Wyss written by his sister, the 89-year-old activist has sought to &#8220;exert influence through his foundations.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It looks like this line of access runs right through Podesta and McUsic,&#8221; Sutherland said.<\/p>\n<p>The agenda for the meeting is unclear, but it occurred weeks before Podesta spearheaded a controversial plan to pause new licenses for liquefied natural gas projects, a policy that <a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/energy\/john-podesta-was-behind-bidens-decision-to-pause-natural-gas-exports-his-lobbyist-brother-stands-to-benefit\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">stands to benefit<\/a> clients of Podesta\u2019s lobbyist brother, Tony Podesta.<\/p>\n<p>Wyss has funded initiatives to end oil and gas drilling in Western states. In 2018, the Wyss Foundation <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wyssfoundation.org\/news\/the-billionaire-quietly-protecting-western-lands-from-oil-and-gas-drilling\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">paid<\/a> an undisclosed amount to purchase and retire oil and gas wells on 24,000 acres of land in Wyoming. Wyss is <a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/policy\/swiss-billionaire-bankrolling-dark-money-group-pushing-for-biden-climate-initiative\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a major funder<\/a> of Climate Power, a dark money group that lobbied for President Joe Biden\u2019s Build Back Better plan and other green energy initiatives.<\/p>\n<p>Through a spokesperson, McUsic disputed the White House visitor logs, which the White House releases each month.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Your information is incorrect. Molly did not attend a meeting at the White House,&#8221; McUsic spokeswoman Marnee Banks told the <em>Washington Free Beacon<\/em>. Banks did not respond to follow-up questions. McUsic, who served on the Biden transition team in 2020, has visited the White House six other times, according to visitor logs.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not the first time Podesta has provided access to his associates. In 2022, Podesta took part in a meeting with executives from Galvanize Climate Solutions, a private equity firm owned by billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer. Galvanize paid Podesta $84,000 in advisory fees in 2021 and 2022, the <em>Free Beacon<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/biden-administration\/john-podesta-earned-thousands-consulting-for-green-energy-billionaires-he-now-oversees-a-federal-fund-that-could-make-them-rich\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">reported<\/a>. The meeting was held to discuss a climate and infrastructure fund overseen by Podesta.<\/p>\n<p>There are indications that Podesta\u2019s meeting with McUsic was political in nature.<\/p>\n<p>According to White House visitor logs, Democratic operative Jim Messina, Barack Obama\u2019s 2012 campaign manager, attended the meeting with Podesta and McUsic.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Though the meeting happened behind closed doors, we can make a good guess at what Ms. McUsic and Mr. Podesta were talking about,&#8221; said Parker Thayer, an analyst at Capital Research Center, a group that tracks liberal nonprofits.<\/p>\n<p>Capital Research Center <a href=\"https:\/\/capitalresearch.org\/app\/uploads\/CRC-Voter-Registration-Report.pdf\">uncovered<\/a> emails from 2015 that showed McUsic sharing secret plans with Podesta, who then served as chairman of Hillary Clinton\u2019s campaign, for a $100 million voter registration initiative to drive Democrats to the polls.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;With another presidential campaign year looming, it seems likely that Podesta and McUsic met, accompanied by a powerful Democrat campaign consultant, to pick up where they left off,&#8221; said Thayer.<\/p>\n<p>The White House and Messina did not respond to requests for comment.\t<\/p>\n<p>The nature of Podesta\u2019s interactions with McUsic could be discerned if congressional Republicans have their way. Republican lawmakers have called on Biden to give the Senate oversight of Podesta\u2019s position, which was previously held by John Kerry.<\/p>\n<p>Republicans accused Biden in a letter last month of a &#8220;blatant attempt&#8221; to &#8220;sidestep congressional oversight&#8221; by exempting the climate envoy position from Senate confirmation. They say Podesta should have to appear before senators for a confirmation hearing, which would likely explore his financial ties.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>White House climate czar John Podesta met with the leader of an environmental organization funded by a foreign billionaire who paid Podesta a substantial amount previously. Podesta&#8217;s encounter with Molly on Nov. 16 is another instance of him providing privileged access to his affluent supporters, as confirmed by visitor records<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":155,"featured_media":2211578,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/president-biden-holds-a-cabinet-meeting-at-the-white-house_735x515.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[544],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2211577","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-free-beacon"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/president-biden-holds-a-cabinet-meeting-at-the-white-house_735x515.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2211577","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/155"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2211577"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2211577\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2211578"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2211577"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2211577"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2211577"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}