According to recent reports, the Clinton Foundation is accepting large donations from foreign governments. Accusations of influence peddling are already being made.James V. Grimaldi and Rebecca Ballhaus of the Wall Street Journal:
Foreign Government Gifts to Clinton Foundation on the RiseThe Clinton Foundation has dropped its self-imposed ban on collecting funds from foreign governments and is winning contributions at an accelerating rate, raising ethical questions as Hillary Clinton ramps up her expected bid for the presidency.Recent donors include the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Australia, Germany and a Canadian government agency promoting the Keystone XL pipeline.In 2009, the Clinton Foundation stopped raising money from foreign governments after Mrs. Clinton became secretary of state. Former President Bill Clinton, who ran the foundation while his wife was at the State Department, agreed to the gift ban at the behest of the Obama administration, which worried about a secretary of state’s husband raising millions while she represented U.S. interests abroad.The ban wasn’t absolute; some foreign government donations were permitted for ongoing programs approved by State Department ethics officials.
The panel on Special Report with Bret Baier addressed the issue last night:
Considering their prior position on this issue, the Democratic Party’s silence is surprising.
Jim Geraghty of National Review:
So Foreign Money to Political Candidates Is Cool Now, Huh?Back in 2010, President Barack Obama and the Democrats were extremely upset about the possibility that foreign money could end up in the hands of Americans attempting to influence the outcome of the midterm elections:
Democrats, from President Barack Obama on down, are trying to turn an evidence-free allegation into a major campaign theme, claiming that foreign corporations are “stealing our democracy” with secret, illegal contributions funneled through the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Peter Baker of the New York Times said this in 2010:
Obama Ratchets Up Tone Against G.O.P.With his party facing losses in next month’s election, President Obama pressed his argument Sunday that the opposition is trying to steal the election with secret special-interest money, possibly including money from foreign companies.
The Clinton Foundation website, states their goals in this way:
We believe that the best way to unlock human potential is through the power of creative collaboration. That’s why we build partnerships between businesses, NGOs, governments, and individuals everywhere to work faster, better, and leaner; to find solutions that last; and to transform lives and communities from what they are today to what they can be, tomorrow.
While it’s not unusual for former presidents to take up charitable work, Hillary Clinton will have to answer for donations made to her family foundation by foreign governments.
Her own party has made that quite clear.
Featured image is a screen capture from the Clinton Foundation website.
CLICK HERE FOR FULL VERSION OF THIS STORY