Bill Clinton's $30 million German paymaster

By Thomas Lifson

That astounding figure represents what John Rosenthal calculates Bill Clinton may have received from German publishing giant Bertelsmann, via one of its many American publishing imprints, Knopf. Writing for Pajamas Media, Rosenthal also dredges up some very awkward history long-denied by the company: it profited enormously from its relationship with the Nazi regime.

Apart from the sheer mass of the Clintons' earnings, perhaps the most intriguing revelation contained in the release of the Clinton tax data last week was that Bill Clinton received a whopping $15 million advance in 2001 for what would become his autobiography, My Life . As even the New York Times noticed, this was significantly "larger than previously thought"

And that's just the beginning of Clinton's total haul from Bertlesmann, a highly connected, politically influential company in Germany.

Rosenthal brings up two curious presidential actions strongly favored by the German government, and speculates that there could be a relationship between the cash flowing in and the presidential actions, including Bertelsmann's ability to buy up a third or so of the American trade book publishing industry without anti-trust problems arising.

Nothing is proven, of course. But awkward questions linger.

Hat tip: Instapundit, Clarice Feldman