"Clintons, Obama, Biden Are All Criminals"
Something I didn't expect to hear waiting for the bus in Palm Springs.
My wife and I spent a few days in Palm Springs last week. We were standing at a bus stop, and my wife asked a man if he often took the bus. She was probably profiling. The man could be described as a person of color. The question began a conversation.
The man’s name was Able. After asking about us. He told us that we could save some money by using the senior discount. The discount is from $1 to 50 cents. Then he laughed and made a comment about Maduro claiming that he made less than 2 pesitos per year. After explaining that a pesito was less than a peso, he said that he used to be a Democrat but now was independent. I told him I was too. He said, if I had to choose, I’d choose Republican. I told him that I didn’t expect to hear that at a Palm Springs bus stop.
He explained that he spoke English and Spanish. He had been a missionary through much of central America and was on Haiti when the earthquake hit. According to his account, the Clintons built five model homes. They told local residents that they would be given homes like those depending on their needs. If you have two children, you get one like that. If you have three children, you get one like that, etc. The homes would be free.
According to Able, it sounded great. The model homes looked great. None of the homes was connected to water. You had to walk five miles to get water. Able claimed, Clintons took in $14 billion. They didn’t build a single house.
I could stop there. All of that is true. Able is a person and did tell me that. Many people would stop there. Able was there. He was giving an eyewitness account. Why go further?
What about truth?
Able also mentioned that he had to sell a gold ring. He sold it when gold was around $2000/ounce. Now it is over $5000/ounce. He also said that his mother’s house burned in the Palisades fire. He was likely from a more affluent family. He had also lived in a big house owned by a wealthy person. He was not paid a salary but was paid commissions based on sales of artwork. He might not have the perspective of the average California bus rider.
I decided to look into the Clinton Foundation. I couldn’t find any evidence at the web site that the Foundation had helped people in Haiti. I asked Grok:
“According to the Clinton Foundation’s own statements and reports:
It mobilized and deployed over $30 million in immediate relief support, including cash grants, in-kind donations (such as trucks, solar lights, clothing, medical supplies, tents, water purification units, and more).
Every dollar raised for Haiti relief was directed to on-the-ground efforts, with no overhead or administrative fees taken by the Foundation.
Grants went to organizations like ACTED, CARE, and Concern Worldwide for emergency aid (food, water, shelter, medicine).
The Foundation collaborated on broader recovery through the Clinton Global Initiative’s Haiti Action Network (focused on long-term areas like agriculture, education, health, energy, and job creation).
It helped support initiatives that reportedly assisted thousands of farmers, planted millions of trees, provided clean energy installations, and offered job skills training to women.”
On the negative side, Grok reported:
“The overall international aid response (including U.S. government funds overseen in part by then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton) totaled billions pledged, but results were mixed across efforts. Criticisms and controversies exist regarding the broader Clinton-involved recovery:
Many Haitians and critics (including activists, journalists, and reports from outlets like BBC, The Guardian, and others) expressed frustration over slow progress, bureaucratic delays, limited rubble removal/housing, and projects that underdelivered (e.g., the Caracol industrial park, meant to create jobs but criticized for falling short).
Some specific aid items (like temporary shelters/trailers) faced allegations of poor quality or health issues (e.g., mold or formaldehyde concerns in subcontracted units).
Claims of corruption, “pay-to-play,” or personal enrichment (e.g., benefits to donors) have circulated, particularly during the 2016 U.S. election, but fact-checks (including from The Washington Post and others) and the Foundation have called major accusations (like stealing billions) baseless.
Broader aid failures in Haiti stemmed from systemic issues like corruption, political instability, and coordination problems—not solely attributable to the Clintons or their Foundation.
In summary, the Clinton Foundation did actively help with direct relief and longer-term programs, distributing funds transparently per their accounts, but the massive reconstruction effort (in which they were heavily involved) has been widely seen as disappointing in achieving lasting recovery for Haiti. Sources include official Clinton Foundation pages, BBC reporting, The Guardian analyses, and fact-checks from various outlets.”
Able may have been correct. If we give Clintons benefit of the doubt, perhaps their efforts were thwarted by corruption and other problems not under their control. However, when I see what they contributed to: ACTED, CARE, and Concern Worldwide. I wonder what happened to the money. It reminds me of my post; The Numbers Aren’t Wrong. They’re Just the Wrong Numbers. Telling us that they gave millions of dollars to charities, does NOT tell us how people were actually helped. How many houses were built? How many people were fed? How many trees were planted? Were a few administrators making a lot of money?
I decided to look at ACTED web site and searched on Haiti earthquake:
“In the first weeks, ACTED teams responded to the immediate emergency with food rations, drinking water, and basic necessities which included: mattresses, mosquito nets, kitchen kits, hygiene kits and plastic sheeting for emergency shelters.”
“For those who had lost their homes, they had no other option but to take shelter in one of the many camps which sprang up in the wake of the disaster. These camps created their own health challenges, thus ACTED built 850 latrines, more than 400 showers and 40 tanks in the main camps of the country to provide more than 20,000 people with water.”
That seems to be a lot, but probably a drop in the bucket when we consider that “Between 250 000 and 300 000 people lost their lives in the earthquake, with another 300 000 counted among the injured. The disaster levelled 80% of the Haitian capital with a similar impact in nearby towns like Léogâne.”
Looking back after ten years, what do we see? According to the web site:
“Results appear very mixed: Due to the scale of the disaster but also the complexity and fragility of the Haitian context, reconstruction has proved long and difficult and international aid has been less effective than expected. In addition, the cholera epidemic that broke out at the end of 2010 and Hurricane Matthew in December 2016, created extremely difficult conditions for the Haitian state. In 2020, while cholera is on the verge of eradication, the humanitarian situation remains of great concern, with 3.6 million people in a situation of acute food insecurity.”
In this post I’ve provided an example of how to look at both sides. It is easy to quote one person. Can’t you just imagine sticking a camera in Able’s face and reporting it on the news? He could have told the truth. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that Clintons had a dream of building free houses.
However, I didn’t find evidence that Clinton’s got $14 billion. Perhaps around 14 billion was pledged from international efforts. Clinton’s probably did give a lot of money to NGOs. That would be consistent with their modus operandi. They’re not entrepreneurs. They feel better once they give money to a NGO.
It is also difficult to control politics. It is difficult to get permits to build a house in Washington State. I can’t imagine what it would be like in Haiti.
Well, that’s my take on it. Sometimes I’m criticized for not accepting eyewitness accounts immediately. I like to think a little. I encourage you to do the same.