A week before the first presidential debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton in September, the Clinton Global Initiative is holding an event which will be attended by many of Hillary’s favorite one percenters.
Democrats are concerned because the optics of this will play right into Trump’s narrative about Hillary being an entrenched DC insider and influence peddler.
Politico reports:
Democrats fret over timing of Clintons’ charity feteHundreds of corporate executives, foreign dignitaries and celebrities will pile into a Manhattan ballroom to hobnob with Bill and Chelsea Clinton next month at their charity’s keynote annual event — just days before Hillary Clinton defends herself against pay-to-play accusations from Donald Trump in their first debate.The 12th and final annual meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative will showcase its philanthropic work and also the Democratic nominee’s greatest potential vulnerability — her ties to a sprawling global charity that has accepted donations from Middle Eastern governments, foreign businessmen with checkered histories and major corporations with business before the government.Some Democratic operatives say they’re dismayed by the timing of the three-day conference Sept. 19-21 — a week before the first national debate and seven weeks before Election Day. They say it’s inevitable that having two members of the former and perhaps future first family rubbing shoulders with the well-heeled and well-connected will provide fresh ammunition to the Republican campaign, even as Hillary Clinton is off honing rebuttals to charges that donors got special consideration from the government while she was Secretary of State.”Some might suggest that the Clinton Global Initiative is simply a glitzy week of highlighting troubling donors,” said Democratic strategist Hank Sheinkopf. “Others will see it as an annual event highlighting distinctive international issues. In the debate, Trump will see it as ammunition to batter the Democrat.”
Democrats are starting to get more questions about the Clinton Foundation as well. Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland found himself on defense when questioned on FOX News Sunday:
The Boston Globe editorial referenced in the video makes it pretty clear that Hillary’s media supporters see the Clinton Foundation as a weakness for her.
Here’s more from the column:
Clinton Foundation should stop accepting fundsALTHOUGH THE CHARITY founded by former President Bill Clinton has done admirable work over the last 15 years, the Clinton Foundation is also clearly a liability for Hillary Clinton as she seeks the presidency. The once-and-maybe-future first family will have plenty to keep them busy next year if Hillary Clinton defeats Donald Trump in November. The foundation should remove a political — and actual — distraction and stop accepting funding. If Clinton is elected, the foundation should be shut down…Winding down the foundation, and transferring its assets to some other established charity, doesn’t have to hurt charitable efforts. If the foundation’s donors are truly motivated by altruism, and not by the lure of access to the Clintons, then surely they can find other ways to support the foundation’s goals. And in four or eight years, the Clinton family could always form a new foundationand reestablish their charitable efforts.But as long as either of the Clintons is in public office, or actively seeking it, they should not operate a charity, too. The Clintons themselves seem to realize that. “There’ll clearly be some changes in what the Clinton Foundation does and how we do it,” Bill Clinton said in June. “We’ll just have to cross that bridge when we come to it.” Why wait? The Clintons should move now to end donations to the foundation, and make plans to shut it down in November. Even if they’ve done nothing illegal, the foundation will always look too much like a conflict of interest for comfort.
It’s very telling that the media opts to warn Hillary that it might look like a conflict of interests, rather than just calling it a conflict of interests.
Either way, Democrats are right to be nervous. This will play right into Trump’s narrative.
CLICK HERE FOR FULL VERSION OF THIS STORY