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By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive Series

UNITED NATIONS, January 31 – The United States has controlled the UN Department of Political Affairs under former Clinton State Department official Jeffrey Feltman, and Inner City Press was informed by whistleblowers, and exclusively reported, that Feltman is trying to stay on at the UN until July 4, 2017.

   Inner City Press asked asked about Feltman "contributing" DPA staffer Katrin Hett to new Secretary General Antonio Guterres' transition and now Executive Office. Feltman didn't answer, and the UN's holdover spokesman called even the question "despicable." Video here.

  There are new questions, about people seemingly seconded to the Executive Office of the Secretary General. Last week, deputy UN spokesman Farhan Haq told Inner City Press it would become clear by the end of January.

  But on January 31, when Inner City Press asked holdover lead spokesman Dujarric for the information, including on having seen French mission legal adviser Tanguy Stehelin going up with the entourage to the 38th floor, Dujarric refused to answer and walked off the podium. Video here, at end. From the UN transcript:

Inner City Press:  I'd asked about people that I've seen up on [the 38th Floor] and said, like, are they now part of the Executive Office of the Secretary-General or not?  He [deputy spokesman Farhan Haq] said, until the end of the month, it's still the transition.  So, I guess I wanted… are we going to get kind of a chart of, like, who transitioned from the transition?  I saw the French legal adviser — or at least the person I think of as the French legal adviser — going up and down.  Is he now part of working for the UN?  Is he seconded?

Spokesman:  As I said, we're still in a period of transition.  When we can have a little more clarity on the staffing, we'll share it with.  Thank you.

 This is not transparency.

  Inner City Press is informed of other staffers placed on 38, by other countries. Disclosure is needed, and soon.

  One point here, made by whistleblowing staff, is that if the reason for Guterres' muted response to the US Executive Order is to try for a good relationship with Washington, doing side favors for Obama / Clinton holdover(s) may not be the best way (just as continuing the censorship of the former SG and his USG Gallach, resulting in Banned coverage and delay, makes little sense.) They cite cost-benefit analysis, in UNese.

  The reason for the extension, the whistleblowers tell Inner City Press, is so that Feltman's UN pension can "vest."

 But is it wise for the UN to spend taxpayer money in this way, keeping on an official so closely aligned with Hilary Clinton?

  This takes place after reporting on, but not publication of, a draft Executive Order to cut UN funding. Now Inner City Press publishes the draft, here.

Here's UN Budget Cut Draft Executive Order, On Hold Jan 27 as Inner City Press Exposes Clinton-Aligned Felt... by Matthew Russell Lee on Scribd

Even as it's said it won't be signed imminently, there are scams at the UN, including Feltman, Cristina Gallach and Herve Ladsous, which can and should be stopped immediately.

 Inner City Press put the questions directly to Feltman:

"Dear Mr. Feltman - These are Press questions very much on deadline, very straight forward:

1) When does your contract with the UN end?

2) Separately, please confirm or deny that your contract got extended.

3) Separately, that your contract was extended through June.

4) Separately, that this was related to your UN pension vesting.

5) Entirely separately, whether Katrin Hett is taking up a position in the Secretary General's office.

6) Separately, does this involves a jump from P4 to P5?

As noted, very much on deadline. Thanks in advance for your answers, asap."

  Current UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric, also a holdover, does not answer Inner City Press' management and reform questions, most recently about a UN "Hospitality Log" of wining and dining, click here for that. In fact, Dujarric and the UN threw Inner City Press out of the UN without a hearing, and restrict it still.

  After publication of the above, and this, Inner City Press at the January 27 noon briefing asked spokesman Dujarric, who called the questioning "despicable." Video here, UN transcript here:

Inner City Press: I’ve asked Mr. [Jeffrey] Feltman and now I’m asking you, that his contract was extended from March through June so that his UN pension can vest.  And I wanted to know, just… you said something like it’s early days, but just, did that occur?  And was Katrin Hett from his office, placed in the Executive Office of the Secretary-General, moved from P4 to P5?  I’m told by people in DPA (Department of Political Affairs), essentially, to kind of keep an eye on things.  But the most important thing I want to know is… and I’m asking not to be personal, but because it is public money.  That’s why I expected a yes-or-no answer… a yes-or-no answer.

Spokesman:  I think two things.  As I said, we’re in a period of transition.  The Secretary-General is looking at his senior leadership.  He’s taking decisions that will need… that will ensure the continuing smooth transition that is already ongoing.  That’s for Mr. Feltman.  I have… I don’t have the exact dates of his contract.  We’re in a period of transition.  As for… as for the other person you mentioned, you know, I… you’re free to ask.  I find it somewhat despicable that people use you or others to drag people’s names through the mud and insinuate things.  The… we’re in a transition period.  The Secretary-General’s Office is in the midst of changes.  New staff’s coming in.  All rules are being observed and… all rules and regulations are being observed.  And I’ll leave it at that.

Inner City Press:  I guess my… my… you can use the word “despicable” if you want.  What I wanted to know about the Mr. Feltman thing is, if… and you can easily ask… I guess he contacted you when I e-mailed him, but if, in fact, his contract was extended and if you know that he was appointed by the previous administration and you know that the new administration came in and said… I guess they believe they deserve a USG (Under-Secretary-General) post, what was the thinking behind extending and is it related… [inaudible]

Spokesman:  The only thing that matters is to have as smooth of a transition continue, as we’ve had.  Yeah, go ahead.

Inner City Press:  But you understand, other organizations actually transition. [end]

 As the UN remains unreformed after Ban Ki-moon's ten years ended with corruption, long asked about by the Press, exposed, budget cuts are coming.

 In Washington executive orders are being prepared to cut up to 40% of the US' contributions to the UN, and to fully cut funding to entities blamed for violation of human rights.

  One obvious question is whether the total denial of due process for whistleblowers - already part of US law - and investigative press which covers UN corruption constitutes such a violation.

  For example, the UN Department of Public Information under Cristina Gallach in early 2016 threw Inner City Press out of the UN, dumping its investigative files onto First Avenue, without a single hearing or opportunity to be heard, and no appeal since.

All this for seeking to cover an event in the UN Press Briefing Room which was nowhere listed as closed, and leaving as soon as a single UN Security officer said the Spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, wanted Inner City Press out.

Gallach had a conflict of interest, having been asked by Inner City Press about her own links with Macau-based businessman Ng Lap Seng, facing trial (like Ban Ki-moon's nephew and brother) on bribery charges.

There are no rules, only the one-person fiat rule of an official dumped on Ban's UN by Spain, where she had previously managed, at most, seven people as spokesperson to Javier Solana. Nothing has been done; eleven months later Gallach still requires Inner City Press to have "minders" to cover the UN Security Council.

  The cuts, and a new US Ambassador, are coming. Six days after a confirmation hearing in which she called for accountability at the UN, including for peacekeepers' abuses, Nikki Haley on January 24 was confirmed to replace Samantha Power as US Ambassador to the UN.

  This came after at least two business days of no photos replacing those of President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden at the US Mission to the UN.

  On January 24, Inner City Press asked former UN official, now Swedish foreign minister Margot Wallstrom about Haley's call to defund countries whose peacekeepers abuse. Tweeted video here. There are reforms needed at the UN.

  Back on January 18 before Haley spoke as nominee for US Ambassador to the UN, Senator Bob Corker said he sometimes wondered if just-left Secretary General Ban Ki-moon had a pulse.

  In fact, Ban was quite active in helping his own relatives at the UN, promoting his son in law to the top UN job in Kenya, his brother mining in Myanmar with a "UN delegation," indicted nephew using Ban's name to sell real estate.

  When Haley began, she said the UN has a "checkered history." That's being diplomatic. Consider a head of Peacekeeping who has linked rapes to R&R, video here.

  Consider a head of the UN "Department of Public Information" who did no due diligence over indicted UN briber Ng Lap Seng - then evicted and still restricts the Press which asked here about it. Audit here, Para 37-40, 20b; NYT here.

   In response to questions, Haley praised the UN peacekeeping mission in Sierra Leone, questioned the one in South Sudan and that country's government. She noted that countries make money off their peacekeepers. The case in point, we note, is Burundi, here.

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