The issue of how Speaker Clinton finances her campaign, and the contrast with the small-donation funded Bernie campaign, is not going away, and it should not. Our campaign finance system is a big driver of the Great Inequality because it leads to unequal policy outcomes that both create and exacerbate the economic and other inequality. Who really believes that Big Money does not poison our democracy? Citizens Union was just the latest victory for the billionaires.

If we continue down the same road, we will won’t get to a better place.

Most know what happened yesterday.

Today, I said to Hillary, “Thank you for tackling climate change. Will you act on your words and reject future fossil fuel money in your campaign?” I was genuinely shocked by her response. But I want to make sure we are focused on the issue at hand: asking our candidates to take a stand to fix our democracy. Rejecting fossil fuel money sends a strong signal.

I’m the Greenpeace Activist Who Asked Hillary Clinton to Pledge to Reject Fossil Fuel Contributions at the Purchase NY Campaign Rally [http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/im-the-greenpeace-activist-who-asked-hilla...

Hillary said the following, wrongly assuming the Greenpeace activist was part of the Bernie campaign:

Clinton replied: "I do not have, I have money from people who work for fossil fuel companies," Clinton replied.

When the woman followed up, asking, "and registered lobbyists?" Clinton appeared to get frustrated.

"I'm so sick!" she said. "I'm so sick of the Sanders campaign lying about this, I'm sick of it!"
CBS (http://www.cbsnews.com/news/hillary-clinton-gets-frustrated-at-greenpeac...)

From Huffington Post, this article lays out facts. It is not an opinion piece like many there, but journalism:

Nearly all of the lobbyists bundling contributions for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s campaign have at one time or another worked for the fossil fuel industry.

A list of 40 registered lobbyists that the Clinton camp disclosed to the Federal Election Commission on Wednesday revealed a number of Democratic Party lobbyists who have worked against regulations to curb climate change, advocated for offshore drilling, or sought government approval for natural gas exports.

snip

Scott Parven and Brian Pomper, lobbyists at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, have been registered to lobby for the Southern California-based oil giant Chevron since 2006, with contracts totaling more than $3 million. The two bundled Clinton contributions of $24,700 and $29,700, respectively. They have helped Chevron over the years resist efforts to eliminate oil and gas tax breaks and to impose regulations to reduce carbon emissions.

The two Clinton bundlers also were part of a much-criticized campaign by Chevron to manipulate Congress into inserting language into the Andean Trade Preferences Act that would require Ecuador to dismiss a longstanding lawsuit against the company for polluting the Amazon jungle. Democratic lawmakers pushed back against the campaign and the lawsuit is continuing.

Huffington Post, by Paul Blumenthal, Money in Politics Reporter, The Huffington Post & Kate Sheppard, Senior reporter/Environment and energy editor, The Huffington Post (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/hillary-clinton-bundlers-fossil-fuel...)

There is more data, but fair use limits my quoting of the article. Please go there and read the entire article.

More facts from Greenpeace:

First there are the direct contributions from people working for fossil fuel companies to Hillary Clinton’s campaign committee. According to the most recent filings, the committee has received $309,107 (as of 3/21/16; source: Center for Responsive Politics) from such donors

Next are the fossil fuel lobbyists, many of whom have also bundled contributions. These donations also flow to Hillary Clinton’s campaign committee. Greenpeace has tracked $1,259,280 in bundled and direct donations from lobbyists currently registered as lobbying for the fossil fuel industry. This number excludes donations from lobbyists who are employed directly by a fossil fuel companies, as those donations would have been included in the previous number.

Last are contributions from fossil fuel interests to Super PACs supporting Hillary Clinton. Greenpeace has found $3,250,000 in donations from large donors connected to the fossil fuel industry to Priorities Action USA, a Super PAC supporting Secretary Clinton’s campaign.

All told, the campaign to elect Hillary Clinton for president in 2016 has received more than $4.5 million from lobbyists, bundlers, and large donors connected the fossil fuel industry.

Greenpeace (http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/campaign-updates/hillary-clintons-connecti...)

It’s not just those working for the fossil fuels industry. Greenpeace is focused on lobbyists. The donations from those employed by oil companies could range from hourly workers to highly compensated executives. But that’s a drop in the bucket, although Hillary’s campaign is deflecting as if that was all there was.

Remember, Barack Obama would not take lobbyist money. It was an issue in 2008.

“I’ve sent a strong signal in this campaign by refusing the contributions of registered federal lobbyists and PACs and today,” Mr. Obama told an audience in Bristol, Va. “I’m announcing that going forward, the Democratic National Committee will uphold the same standard and won’t take another dime from Washington lobbyists or special interest PACs. They do not fund my campaign. They will not fund our party.”

NY Times, JUNE 5, 2008

I know this has been very long, and I apologize. I needed to build a factual foundation.

Here is the final point. Hillary falsely accused the Bernie campaigning of lying about her donations from the fossil fuels industry. Of course, it’s illegal for Exxon, a corporation, to give directly. But there are ways, and lobbyists know how to work the system. It is what they sell, their expertise.

It was Greenpeace who asked her the question, not the Bernie campaign. And the Greenpeace question was premised on the truth. It was not a lie.

Hillary owes Bernie an apology.

“I think she probably owes the senator an apology for that because the senator is not lying about her record," Sanders campaign manager Jeff Weaver said on MSNBC. "He’s talking about her record. He’s talking about her practices. She obviously doesn’t like it, but that doesn’t make it lying because you don’t like it.”

snip

“What the Clinton campaign is cagey about – it doesn’t really wanna talk about – is the fact their super PAC gets money from people connected with fossil fuel industry,” Weaver said. “It is the lobbyists, it is the fact that they have lobbyists from the fossil fuel industry—just like they have lobbyists from the banking industry, the drug companies and frankly now we find out the gun lobby—who are giving them money, right, who are bundling this money and giving it to them.”

TPM (http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/jeff-weaver-sanders-clinton-lying-...)

Bernie is funding his campaign with millions of small donations from working people. Hillary’s main source of funding is different. To me, it is a clear choice.