Clinton Foundation will stop accepting foreign donations if Clinton is elected
The Clinton Foundation has long been a cause of scrutiny among opponents of Hillary Clinton, with Donald Trump accusing Clinton of a "pay-to-play" relationship with foreign donors during her time as Secretary of State. Despite denying anything of the sort, the criticism over the controversial donations led Bill Clinton to announce Thursday that were Clinton to be elected president, the foundation would no longer accept foreign or corporate dollars, and he would resign from the board.
Hundreds of millions in donations have been given to the Clinton Foundation by foreign nationals and countries; such groups are forbidden from donating to U.S. political campaigns. The Clinton Foundation money has gone toward charitable causes including global women's rights, the fight against AIDS and HIV, and climate change.
But a 2009 incident, which alarmed critics, involved a chief adviser to Clinton trying to arrange a meeting between a senior American government official and Clinton Foundation donor Gilbert Chagoury, a Lebanese-Nigerian billionaire and philanthropist. "As you know, he's a key guy there and to us and is loved in Lebanon," the adviser said in an email that Clinton has claimed was mischaracterized.
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"It's illegal," Trump has trumpeted. "I would imagine other things are going to be coming down the pike."
But even Trump has donated at least $100,000 to the Clinton Foundation.
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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