How Bill Clinton's excellent adventure at the Clinton Foundation became a drag on his wife's presidential ambitions

Bill Clinton
(Image credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

The Washington Post this week published a very useful overview of the rise of the Clinton Foundation, from its humble roots helping small business owners in Harlem to the sprawling philanthropic empire it has become today — one that has produced numerous conflicts of interest that have already created headaches for Hillary Clinton's presidential aspirations.

One of the more interesting aspects of the story is how the Clinton Foundation filled a void in Bill Clinton's restless post-presidential life, turning him — project by project, donation by donation — into the "world's middleman" for getting stuff done, whether it be lowering the cost of AIDS drugs or fighting childhood obesity:

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

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.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Ryu Spaeth

Ryu Spaeth is deputy editor at TheWeek.com. Follow him on Twitter.