Last week, Bill Clinton told Clinton Foundation employees that the organization would no longer accept foreign or corporate donations if Hillary Clinton wins in November.
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The dual controversies of her emails and the foundation dovetailed on Monday, as conservative legal group Judicial Watch sought to make the case that previously unreleased emails provide evidence that Clinton offered access to donors to the foundation while she was secretary of state.
Critics say Clinton provided “access” and “favors” while she was secretary, but experts interviewed by USA TODAY, so far, say the “favors” part still hasn’t been proven.
The newly released email exchanges appeared to show that a rich donor, Casey Wasserman, asked Bill Clinton aide Doug Band to contact Abedin for help in setting up a meeting with diplomatic officials in London, which put a new focus on the sometimes awkward ties between the Clinton Foundation and the State Department. “Not shocking, but it is disappointing that there were such blurred lines between State Department officials and outsiders”.
Hillary Clinton’s connections between her political life and the global foundation that she and her husband launched are being questioned in light of her presidential bid. “That’s the missing piece of this puzzle”.
“If Hillary is elected president, the Foundation’s work, funding, global reach, and my role in it will present questions that must be resolved in a way that keeps the good work going while eliminating legitimate concerns about potential conflicts of interest”, stated Clinton.
Ray pointed to reports that the Alavi Foundation – labeled by US authorities as a “front” for the Iranian government – donated $30,000 to the Clinton Foundation in 2005.
Clinton also discussed plans to prepare for upcoming debates with Trump saying, “I watched a lot of his debates during the primaries and he insulted all of his opponents, he insulted all the moderators, he insulted, I guess about 80 percent of the American people and the rest of the world”. An appointment with Clinton and the prince later was arranged through the State Department. The campaign says the emails show no action was taken.
Ray pointed to an ethics agreement created to ward off conflicts of interest between Clinton and the foundation.
– A 2009 meeting with SlimFast executive S. Daniel Abraham, who’d given between $US5 million and $US10 million to the Clinton Foundation. He also would not do any fundraising for the foundation. His wife, Cheryl Saban, is a psychologist and writer who has been a Clinton Foundation board member since 2013.
Judicial Watch’s charge that Clinton abused her office is also complicated by USA law, as determined by the Supreme Court in a 2014 case titled McCutcheon v FEC. “Ingratiation and access are not corruption”, the court found.
She doesn’t even have to open her personal checkbook (since we all have heard about how broke she is) she can just use the Foundation’s funds.
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“It’s an incredible turning point in the campaign, and nothing rallies Republicans like the Clintons”, said Hogan Gidley, spokesman for the Defeat Crooked Hillary PAC, a group that can take unlimited donations and is using the money to criticize the Democrat.
