MULTI CULTURAL CAPITAL March 30?: 2016 Mr. Eric Lipton New York Times Washington Bureau Dear Mr. Lipton: I am providing below an on-the?record response to your query, as our prior conversation has been on background only and was therefore not for attribution. Any of the comments below can be attributed directly to me, and, as agreed prior to our initial conversation, anything discussed previously was explicitly on background. As we have discussed, I?m a mergers and acquisitions specialist with 30 years of experience in the ?nancial sector. As a woman and a minority, I?m proud to own my own business, a boutique based in San Juan, Puerto Rico. My business is exclusively dedicated to facilitating transactions involving private companies and projects in the process of purchase, sale, merger or restructuring. Please be sure to note in the story, which can be attributed to me, that I include the following explicit language in all of my contracts: ?The parties also agree that this Agreement does not contemplate Consultant providing any advice or assistance to Investor or its registered lobbyists with respect to government affairs or assisting its registered lobbyists in the advancement of the Investor ?5 Congressional agenda. As we have also discussed, my background demonstrates that I have an established track record in the ?nancial industry. I?m a Wharton Business School undergraduate, a Columbia MBA graduate, and a Chartered Financial Analyst. I spent 15 years success?illy running emerging markets equity funds in New York and London and returned to ?nance in 2006, having pursued doctoral studies in Puerto Rico. 1 now run a growing business with ?ve employees, four of whom are women. Sincerely, Maria-Elena Carrion