The Department of Justice (DOJ) is investigating a rap star, who allegedly took a staggering sum of $20 million from a Malaysian financer just before he had emerged as a major donor to the groups that are supporting the former President Obama, and the Clinton Foundation.
The investigation into music entertainer, Pras Michel, is now centered on his relationship with the Malaysian financier Jho Low, whom the DOJ believes to be behind a $4.5 billion fraud scheme, as reported by a news source this week. Michel is accused of receiving $20 million in “gifts” from Low, back in the year 2012. This happened about the same time that he had almost given a staggering sum of almost $1.3 million to a Super PAC that was supporting Obama’s reelection. He further gave $40,000 to the Obama Victory Fund, and gave a further $20,000 to become a founding member of Obama’s Organizing for Action advocacy group.
Michel’s money also flowed into the Clinton Foundation, which also discloses on its website that it had received between $50,001 and $100,000 from Michel.
The Clinton Foundation does not, however, disclose when were these contributions received and did not respond to any inquiries into the contributions from Michel. A legal representative for Michel also did not respond to all the inquiries for the reason for his contributions to the foundation.
The Clinton Foundation has also received between $1 million and $5 million from Frank White, a top fundraiser for both – Obama and Clinton, who had collaborated with Michel to found the DuSable Capital Management LLC, a firm that has done all the major business with the Malaysian fund that was targeted by DOJ.
A DOJ spokesperson had declined to comment when he was asked whether the contributions to the Clinton Foundation were also being looked at in the probe.
The Malaysian fund, 1Malaysian Development Bhd. – 1MDB was being used by Low, who is a close confidante of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, to gift large sums of money to his friends and associates who would then spend the same money on his behalf.
The news source further goes on to explain that the $20 million worth of gifts that were directed to Michel by Low, came as Prime Minister Razak was working to boost his own profile and investment ties with the United States.
In 2013, Michel’s partner, White, had brought Razak’s son to the White House for a meeting with President Obama in the Oval Office. They were also joined on the visit by the actor Leonardo DiCaprio and director Martin Scorsese — and Obama was given an advance copy of The Wolf of Wall Street, a film that too was funded by money from 1MDB.
Investigators also are of the belief, according to the report, that White had received about $10 million from Low’s fund before he had founded DuSable Capital Management with Michel.
DuSable’s biggest investment since it was originally founded, has been a solar-power project located in Malaysia. DuSable’s own stake in the project was purchased by the same 1MBD for $69 million in 2015.
Michel’s lawyer further told the news source that a “false narrative about Mr. Michel is in place,” but declined to direct any comment on his financial dealings or political activity.
The Clinton Foundation has now become a major headache for Hillary Clinton during her failed 2016 run for presidency largely due to its foreign contributions, which had continued during her tenure at the State Department.
