Meet Hillary Clinton’s Other, Much More Powerful and Shadowy Oppo Research Firm
Executives with London-based Hakluyt & Co. contributed thousands of dollars to 2016 Democratic presidential nominee's campaign
by Mark Tapscott | Updated 18 Mar 2018 at 11:07 AM
Fusion GPS has gotten all the headlines. But there was a second, even more powerful and mysterious opposition research and intelligence firm lurking about with significant political and financial links to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her 2016 campaign for president against Donald Trump.
Meet London-based Hakluyt & Co., founded by three former British intelligence operatives in 1995 to provide the kind of otherwise inaccessible research for which select governments and Fortune 500 corporations pay huge sums.
Whereas Fusion GPS was created by three former Wall Street Journal reporters with links to the U.S. intelligence community, Hakluyt — with offices in London, New York, Singapore, Tokyo and Sydney — was founded by an enterprising trio of former British intelligence operatives with deep connections throughout the world’s official and corporate corridors of power and influence.
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Downer’s continued involvement with Hakluyt locates the shadowy operation in the world of the Clintons. As previously reported by LifeZette, it was Downer in 2006 who as Australian foreign minister signed a memorandum of understanding with Bill Clinton and the Clinton Foundation.
The memorandum committed $25 million from the Australian government to the foundation for HIV/AIDs programs in China, Papua New Guinea, and Vietnam. A subsequent audit was unable to account for how those funds were spent.
Earlier this year, the FBI asked retired Australian police detective Michael Smith to provide information he uncovered concerning the 2006 deal — suggesting the bureau’s investigation of the Clinton Foundation is focused on the controversial charity’s domestic and international activities. Related: Aussie Complaints Headed to FBI on Clinton Foundation’s Dealings Down Under
