Bill Clinton’s foundation arranged a $2 million pledge to a power company partly owned by a wealthy blond divorcée — who some say is the frequent visitor to his home nicknamed “Energizer.”
The “commitment” to Julie Tauber McMahon’s firm from the Clinton Global Initiative was placed on its 2010 conference agenda at Clinton’s urging, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.
The initiative “commits $2 million to support the work of Energy Pioneer Solutions, a company founded to deliver energy savings to communities in rural America,” said a 2010 statement from the charity.
Clinton even went to bat for the company when it came to lobbying for federal funds. He helped steer an $812,000 federal grant to it by endorsing the funds via then-Energy Secretary Steven Chu, the Journal said.
McMahon owns 29 percent of Energy Pioneer Solutions, which was given the money to make people’s homes more energy-efficient.
The fit, blond mother of three, who lives just minutes from Bill and Hillary Clinton’s home in Chappaqua, Westchester, is the daughter of Joel Tauber, a millionaire donor to the Democratic Party.
McMahon, 54, is rumored to be the woman dubbed “Energizer” by the Secret Service at the Clinton home because of her frequent visits, according to RadarOnline.
Secret Service agents were even given special instructions to abandon usual protocol when the woman came by, according to journalist Ronald Kessler’s tell-all book, “The First Family Detail.”
“You don’t stop her, you don’t approach her, you just let her go in,” says the book, based on agents’ accounts.
“Energizer” is described in the book as a charming visitor who sometimes brought cookies to the agents.
The book describes one sun-drenched afternoon when agents took notice of the woman’s revealing attire.
“It was a warm day, and she was wearing a low-cut tank top, and as she leaned over, her breasts were very exposed,” an agent is quoted in the book as saying.
“They appeared to be very perky and very new and full … There was no doubt in my mind they were enhanced.”
“Energizer” reportedly timed her arrivals and departures around Hillary Clinton’s schedule.
McMahon has denied in reports having an intimate relationship with Bill Clinton.
The commitment to McMahon’s company raises red flags for the Clinton Global Initiative.
Other Clinton friends — including former Democratic congressional candidate Scott Kleeb, Democratic National Committee Treasurer Andrew Tobias and Mark Weiner — share ownership of Energy Pioneer Solutions.
Under federal law, tax-exempt nonprofits like Clinton’s are not supposed to act in anyone’s private interest, the Journal reported. Spokespeople for Bill and Hillary Clinton declined to comment.
A foundation spokesperson defended the financial commitment as “a common practice in the broader philanthropic space.”