Clinton Foundation Defends Acceptance of Foreign Donations By Peter Nicholas and Rebecca Ballhaus
http://www.wsj.com/articles/clinton-foundation-defends-acceptance-of-foreign-donations-1424302856?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLENexttoWhatsNewsForth
Charity has received funds from governments of U.A.E., Saudi Arabia, Oman and Canada, among others
The Clinton Foundation on Wednesday defended its practice of accepting donations from overseas governments, amid concerns from some ethics experts that such contributions are inappropriate at a time when Hillary Clinton is preparing to run for president.
A Wall Street Journal review of donations to the Clinton Foundation in 2014 showed the charity received money from the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Oman, among others. The donors included Canada’s foreign affairs department, which is promoting the Keystone XL pipeline.
The foundation had agreed to stop raising money from foreign governments in 2009, after Mrs. Clinton became secretary of state. That step was in deference to Obama administration concerns about the propriety of taking money from other nations while Mrs. Clinton served as America’s top diplomat.
Mrs. Clinton left the State Department in early 2013, and the foundation later dropped the ban.
Mrs. Clinton is an important figure in the foundation, serving as a marquee fundraiser for what is now officially called the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation. Some ethics experts questioned whether it is appropriate for the foundation to accept funds from foreign governments at a time when Mrs. Clinton is preparing for an all-but-certain presidential bid.
In its statement, the foundation said: “The Clinton Foundation has strong donor integrity and transparency practices that go above and beyond what is required of U.S. charities and well beyond the practices of most peer organizations. This includes the voluntary, full disclosure of donors on our website for anyone to see.”
“The bottom line: these contributions are helping improve the lives of millions of people across the world, for which we are grateful.”
In its account of the donations from foreign governments, the Journal quoted several independent analysts who said the foundation should restore its ban on such contributions, out of concerns that foreign governments would attempt to curry favor with Mrs. Clinton.
Republicans on Wednesday chided Mrs. Clinton over the contributions.
“The alarming rate at which these contributions are now coming in presents a massive conflict-of-interest problem for her,’’ said Michael Short, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee. ”When that 3 a.m. phone call comes, do voters really want to have a president on the line who took truckloads of cash from other countries? Absolutely not.”
A spokeswoman for former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush , who is preparing a campaign for the White House, declined to comment on whether the Clinton Foundation should stop accepting contributions from foreign governments. But she noted that Mr. Bush, “as part of seriously exploring a potential run for president,” had stepped down as chairman of his foundation, and that his foundation doesn’t take donations from foreign governments or entities.
America Rising, a Republican opposition research group, on Wednesday called for the Clinton Foundation to restore its ban on foreign contributions and return the donations it has received from foreign countries and entities, including nonprofits where foreign government donations constitute the majority of their funds. They also requested that Mr. Clinton return the speaking fees he has earned from foreign governments and stop accepting them.
“The potential conflict of interest for someone in Clinton’s position requires they return the money, and the ethical lapse to accept the money in the first place calls into question Hillary Clinton’s judgment,” the group said in a statement
The United Arab Emirates, a first-time donor, gave between $1 million and $5 million, 2014 according to disclosures on an online Clinton Foundation database. The German government—another first-time donor—contributed between $100,000 and $250,000.
Saudi Arabia, a previous donor, has given between $10 million and $25 million since the foundation’s creation. An unspecified portion of the money came in 2014.
Other donors to the foundation last year included Jonathan Lavine, an investment adviser in Boston and previous donor to Mrs. Clinton’s campaigns, gave between $500,000 and $1 million together with his wife through a foundation they created.
Several prominent Silicon Valley figures gave to the foundation for the first time last year. Ann Doerr, the wife of venture capitalist John Doerr , gave between $50,000 and $100,000. A foundation started by Sean Parker , the co-founder of Napster, gave between $500,000 and $1 million.
Newsmax, a conservative news organization, last year pledged $1 million to the Clinton Foundation over a five-year period, according to a spokesman for Chris Ruddy, the organization’s CEO. Mr. Ruddy has been friends with the Clintons since 2007. Through a spokesman, he said the donation wasn’t tantamount to an endorsement of Mrs. Clinton’s potential campaign, though he thinks she would “make a great presidential candidate.”
—James V. Grimaldi contributed to this article.
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