Former president Bill Clinton announced Monday that if Hillary is elected president, the foundation would stop accepting foreign donations in order to address “legitimate conflict of interest questions”.
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In an email to supporters, Bill Clinton defended the charitable foundation, saying it has “improved millions of lives around the world”.
“Well, number one, they should shut it down, and number two, they should give the money back to a lot of countries we shouldn’t be taking – and they shouldn’t be taking money from”, Trump said. US election law bars a candidate from accepting donations from foreign entities and corporations, but it makes no such restrictions on who can and cannot cut a check to the family foundation of that same candidate. The Clinton campaign said its rivals had mischaracterized the exchange and that Clinton never took action because of donations to the foundation.
It was reported on Thursday that the Clinton Foundation would no longer receive donations from foreigners or corporations if Clinton wins the election in November, an effort to defuse criticism that donors to the globe-straddling charity might inappropriately seek White House favors in return.
At the staff meeting, Clinton said he and his daughter, Chelsea Clinton, did not face any external pressure to make the changes, but wanted to avoid any potential issues or second guessing for Hillary Clinton should she move into the White House. Money accepted from countries such as Saudi Arabia drew scrutiny from both Republicans and Democrats early in Clinton’s presidential bid.
Later, the campaign manager was pressed further on the Clinton Foundation’s relationship to the State Department under Hillary Clinton’s leadership.
Republican vice presidential nominee Mike PenceMike (Michael) Richard PencePence to Trump: “My mom and I also enjoy KFC on the plane” The Trail 2016: Focus on the Foundation Pence: Clinton should shut down Clinton Foundation “right now” MORE on Monday called for the Clinton Foundation to be shut down.
Because foreigners and nations can’t donate to American politicians’ campaigns, the foundation’s donations seemed to some like a loophole for foreign nations to support Hillary.
This week, State Department officials have faced questions this week about the department’s interest in purchasing land for a U.S. embassy in Lagos from Lebanese-Nigerian businessmen Ronald and Gilbert Chagoury.
“I hope I’ll get permission to keep this foundation going”, he told Queen Latifah on her talk show a year ago, amid a packed schedule of foundation-related events, including an overseas trip with donors.
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Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and her husband, former U.S. president Bill Clinton, acknowledge the crowd at the end of the fourth day of the party’s convention in Philadelphia on July 28, 2016. He was pushing for more transparency than what was ultimately agreed upon between the foundation and the Obama transition team. “I don’t think you heard these questions when members of the Bush family continued to serve on boards for President Bush’s foundation”.
