Debbie Schlussel: Another Donor List We Must See: Who Gave Millions to CIA-Director-in-Waiting Leona Panetta?
In order to get his wife vetted for Secretary of State, Bill Clinton released the donor list to his foundation. But, now, there's another list we must see: who donated about $10 million to the Leon and Sylvia Panetta Institute for Public Policy?
Panetta, with absolutely no experience in intelligence, is Barack Obama's choice for CIA Director. Since he has no intelligence expertise, he will be especially vulnerable to influence from those who paid most of his salary for the last decade or more. And we need to see the donor list. Frankly, he was more reliant on those donors than Bill and Hillary Clinton were on donors to Mr. Clinton's charity. Panetta and his wife, Sylvia, apparently used the money to live on. Other than serving as a director for the New York Stock Exchange from 1997-2003, the money was the Panetta's apparent main source of income.
Check out a copy of the latest tax filing on record for the Leon & Sylvia Panetta Institute for Public Policy. On the "Support Schedule"--which is the 13th page of the entire tax return--the Panettas list about $4 million for the years 2003-2006. There were likely in excess of $10 million in donations in the eleven years that this organization existed.
Where did it come from? We deserve to know, so that we know who will potentially influence the U.S. spy game over the next four years or so.
So, come on, Mr. and Mrs. Panetta, release the list of your donors.
Posted by Debbie on January 6, 2009 10:24 AM to Debbie Schlussel