Clinton Foundation admits accepting $1 million from Qatar during State Department years


The Clinton Foundation admitted in a Reuters story Friday night it accepted a $1 million donation from the government of Qatar during Hillary Clinton's tenure as secretary of state. In October, the foundation refused to confirm such a donation occurred.
Clinton may have violated her ethics pledge to notify the State Department of any new or significantly increased support from foreign donors to avoid appearance of undue foreign influence on U.S. policy, because the agency says it was never notified of this donation. A foundation representative said Qatar supported the charity "at equal or lower levels" than its pre-2009 gifts but declined to offer any specific figures.
The Clinton Foundation has long been scrutinized over its acceptance of donations from corporations and foreign governments that had dealings with State while Clinton was in office. The foundation said it will stop accepting foreign money if Clinton is elected to avoid further allegations of unethical conduct, a promise that will eliminate more than half of the organization's high-dollar donors.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Qatar donation came to light thanks to an email published by WikiLeaks from the hacked email account of Clinton's campaign chair, John Podesta.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Bonnie Kristian was a deputy editor and acting editor-in-chief of TheWeek.com. She is a columnist at Christianity Today and author of Untrustworthy: The Knowledge Crisis Breaking Our Brains, Polluting Our Politics, and Corrupting Christian Community (forthcoming 2022) and A Flexible Faith: Rethinking What It Means to Follow Jesus Today (2018). Her writing has also appeared at Time Magazine, CNN, USA Today, Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, and The American Conservative, among other outlets.
-
Escape to the Scottish countryside at Dunkeld House Hotel
The Week Recommends Roam, revive and relax at this luxury hotel in a wooded riverside Perthshire estate
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US
-
Liverpool's Anfield redemption: how did they do it?
Talking Point Arne Slot's blueprint and standout player performances guide the Reds to record 20th league title
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK
-
Codeword: April 29, 2025
The Week's daily codeword puzzle
By The Week Staff
-
Markets notch worst quarter in years as new tariffs loom
Speed Read The S&P 500 is on track for its worst month since 2022 as investors brace for Trump's tariffs
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Tesla Cybertrucks recalled over dislodging panels
Speed Read Almost every Cybertruck in the US has been recalled over a stainless steel panel that could fall off
By Justin Klawans, The Week US
-
Crafting emporium Joann is going out of business
Speed Read The 82-year-old fabric and crafts store will be closing all 800 of its stores
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Trump's China tariffs start after Canada, Mexico pauses
Speed Read The president paused his tariffs on America's closest neighbors after speaking to their leaders, but his import tax on Chinese goods has taken effect
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Chinese AI chatbot's rise slams US tech stocks
Speed Read The sudden popularity of a new AI chatbot from Chinese startup DeepSeek has sent U.S. tech stocks tumbling
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
US port strike averted with tentative labor deal
Speed Read The strike could have shut down major ports from Texas to Maine
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Biden expected to block Japanese bid for US Steel
Speed Read The president is blocking the $14 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel by Japan's Nippon Steel, citing national security concerns
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Judges block $25B Kroger-Albertsons merger
Speed Read The proposed merger between the supermarket giants was stalled when judges overseeing two separate cases blocked the deal
By Peter Weber, The Week US