Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Clinton critic paid $2,500 by Trump supporter's committee

Money: Kathy Shelton. REUTERS/Mike Segar
Money: Kathy Shelton. REUTERS/Mike Segar

A sexual-assault victim who is critical of Hillary Clinton and who appeared alongside Donald Trump before Sunday night's debate was paid $2,500 (€2,250) by a political action committee founded by Trump ally Roger Stone.

The Arkansas woman, Kathy Shelton, was sexually assaulted at age 12 and was the victim in a 1975 case in which Mrs Clinton was appointed to represent her then 41-year-old attacker, Thomas Alfred Taylor.

Ms Shelton has accused Mrs Clinton of crossing ethical bounds in the case and over the past few months she has given TV and video interviews slamming her.

Shelton's case has been extensively cited in conservative media as evidence that Mrs Clinton does not have the best interests of women at heart.

The May payment to Shelton by the Committee to Restore America's Greatness PAC, founded by Stone, was described as "contract labour" in campaign finance reports filed with the Federal Election Commission.

Asked about the reason for the payment, Stone said in an email that Shelton "was extensively interviewed on video about her experience with Hillary Clinton and was paid for her time".

In 1975, Clinton was asked by a judge overseeing the case to represent Shelton's alleged attacker. After the prosecution lost key evidence, Clinton's client entered a plea to a lesser charge.

In an interview a decade later, Clinton expressed horror at the crime, but was recorded on tape laughing about procedural details of the case.

Stone is a former lobbyist for Trump.

Irish Independent

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