Fairfax County Republican Committee

HILLARY’S BROTHERS PLAY "GODFATHER" TO RUSSIAN MOB, SAYS RNC

Nicholson Asks First Lady to Explain First Family Trip to Republic of Georgia WASHINGTON (September 17)  - With Hillary Clinton’s knowledge, her brothers Anthony and Hugh jaunted into the highly politically charged former Soviet Republic of Georgia last month in pursuit of a $118 million moneymaking scheme involving close associates of Russian mafia boss Grigory Loutchansky - and the Chairman of the Republican National Committee is demanding to know how much the First Lady knew about it. According to Thursday’s Washington Post, Hillary Clinton was told that First-Brothers-in-Law Hugh and Anthony Rodham were traveling last month to the former Soviet Republic on business.  The duo planned a $118 million investment to grow Georgian hazelnuts and export them to the United States.  Although Hillary Clinton knew of the trip, the National Security Council learned of it only from urgent contacts between Tblisi and Washington on August 17, when the Georgians complained that the pair were planning to meet with a local political boss, Aslan Abashidze, (AS-lan ah-ba-SHID-zee).  Abashidze is closely associated with Russian mob figure Grigory Loutchansky (loo-CHAN-ski), who was photographed at a Clinton fundraiser in October of 1993, and who has been linked by Interpol to Russian mafia money laundering, drug drafficking, nuclear smuggling and international arms transactions.   After the meeting with Abashidze in Georgia, the brothers then accompanied him to Italy, where Tony Rodham became godfather to Abashidze’s infant grandson, The Post reported.  Afterwards, Abashadize - an enemy of Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze - suggested that the deal might bring political support for him from President Clinton.   According to The Post, the Rodham brothers initially rejected National Security Advisor Sandy Berger’s entreaties to call off the deal, but backed off when stories of the scheme first appeared yesterday.   “Normally, you’d excuse the Ralph Cramdon-Ed Norton schemes of greedy First in-laws trading on the family name, but when it comes to dealing with questionable characters, these two hazelnuts didn’t fall far from the Rodham family tree,” said RNC Chairman Jim Nicholson. “I call on the First Lady to tell us what she knew about her brothers’ activities.  For her to know about the trip in advance, and not inform the relevant National Security Council authorities, reflects questionable judgment on her part, at the very least.”