How a trip to North Korea forged a lucrative business relationship between the Clintons and Dow Chemical http://archive.is/FjKh5  Nov 2016 Recently as part of the WikiLeaks releases of Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta’s emails a memo from Doug Band, adviser to former President Bill Clinton, revealed the intertwining relationship between the Foundation’s charitable activities and the former President’s business activities. Band gives detailed lists of ways his consulting firm, Teneo, arranged donations from clients to the Foundation and how in some cases this also allowed for lucrative personal deals for Bill Clinton personally. Among the various corporate players involved with the former President and the Foundation is Dow Chemical, who appears to have benefited immensely from favorable government treatment during Hillary Clinton’s time in the State Department. Early ties between Dow Chemical and the Foundation appear to have formed in 2007 when the company first became a Foundation donor.  The first year their contribution was $15,000, then $20,000 in 2008, and $40,000 in 2009. None of these contributions are special, and appear to be about gaining membership in the Clinton Global Initiative. At the time the biggest support Dow Chemical provided was providing $30 million worth of loan guarantees to a CGI clean water project in India. ...However, the real relationship between the Clintons and Dow Chemical would be prompted in 2009 by a case involving two journalists detained by North Korea. As noted in the memo, in August of 2009 Teneo co-founder and former Clinton fundraiser Declan Kelly invited Dow CEO Andrew Liveris to play golf with former President Clinton and Band. In the footnote attached to this statement, Band references the fact Dow Chemical aided Clinton with a mission to North Korea that same month by providing free use of Dow’s corporate jet for part of the trip. Given the context of the memo and Band’s statement about the cost savings, it is implied Kelly had played some role in securing Dow’s involvement with the North Korea trip.