Bill Clinton defends family foundation

[webfact]

Bill Clinton defends family foundation
NICHOLAS RICCARDI, Associated Press

DENVER (AP) — Former President Bill Clinton said Wednesday that if his wife is elected president he will stop giving paid speeches and, if she asks, step down from the foundation that bears his name and has fueled attacks against her during her nascent campaign.

The Clintons have been criticized for raking in millions of dollars from paid speeches since they left government service, as well as for letting foreign countries and companies with interests before Hillary Clinton's State Department give money to their foundation.

In an interview with Bloomberg TV at the Clinton Global Initiative's Denver meeting, Clinton said he'd stop giving paid speeches should Hillary Clinton return to the White House. He added that it would be his wife's call on whether he stayed at CGI.

"She will have to decide what is my highest and best use, including being around to buck her up in the morning," he said.

Clinton acknowledged that some of the $2 billion in donations the foundation has received may seem questionable when viewed through a political lens. But he said they were accepted with the best intentions. "Has anyone proved we've done anything objectionable with this money?" he asked. "No."

The charity was set up after Clinton's presidency more than a decade ago, and he said no one was thinking that Hillary Rodham Clinton would run for president someday and that "everything we did would be treated with the presumption of wrongdoing."

Clinton cited a $500,000 donation from the government of Algeria in 2010 that violated an Obama administration ban on the foundation taking contributions from foreign states. The donation came two days after the Haiti earthquake that killed more than 230,000 people. Clinton said the injured were being anesthetized in the streets with vodka because hospitals were destroyed — and he was accepting help from anyone.

"There are very few countries in the world I would not accept for help to Haiti," Clinton said.

In an interview with CNN to be broadcast Sunday, Clinton acknowledged "you never know of what people's motives are" for donations but said he's seen no efforts to win favors.

He added that the foundation has a "strict" non-corruption policy and noted that several Republicans, such as former President George W. Bush and 2012 presidential candidate Mitt Romney, have spoken at its gatherings.


-- (c) Associated Press 2015-06-11

[ezzra]

Too little too late. the Clintons knew very well for some years now that Hilary will be running

for the big ticket, and yet, they didn't stop raking in the millions and be involved in shady deals,

now, that the shit hit the fan, they're backtracking...

How on earth can you ' speak for the poor ' and be relevant when the millions are pouring

out of your ears? you can't....

[NeverSure]

Of course no favors expected. Everyone gets $500,000.00 or $1,000.000.00 an hour for giving "speeches".

[Credo]

It is the same with every other president. They get a lot of money for speaking. Perhaps we should target Jeb Bush since his brother probably also gets money for speeches. Or maybe not. Probably not a lot of interest in listening to GW. Has GW contributed to Jeb campaign?

The Clinton's have done a good thing by having a foundation.

[sanuk711]

Of course no favors expected. Everyone gets $500,000.00 or $1,000.000.00 an hour for giving "speeches".

Yes & much the same on the other side of the pond-----

During a fundraising dinner speech last year, Tony Blair is said to have commented that there is a 'shortage of common sense' right now in the UK , at which point the people who paid £10,000 a plate for their dinner all applauded in agreement.............

[eggers]

As Bill Clinton said "She will have to decide what is my highest and best use, including being around to buck her up in the morning," He did say "buck" didn't he???

[Katipo]

This isn't really news. Yes, he gets paid vast sums for speaking. Many in his position do. Yes his charity has received large sums for this and that cause. Has the money been misappropriated? Not that anyone knows or is even accusing. So if it was used for good to help people who otherwise may have suffered more, then what's the problem?

Scrutiny is a good thing. It keeps people honest. Electioneering and sensationalist claims with no motivation other than to discredit are nasty and a sad reflection on society.

[ABCer]

Sometimes not everything is about money.

Bill Clinton defends family foundation

How about "Bill Clinton defends foundations of family"?

[chuckd]

Bill Clinton will continue having a hard time defending the foundation. Hillary doesn't even respond to questions about it.

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Clinton Foundation Put On Charity ‘Watch List’ Along With Al Sharpton’s Shady Nonprofit

CHUCK ROSS

Reporter

5:35 PM 04/26/2015

The Clinton Foundation has joined Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network on a list of naughty nonprofits maintained by Charity Navigator, a prominent charity monitor.

The Clinton Foundation was put on Charity Navigator’s “watch list” last month, The New York Post reported on Sunday.

The foundation has come under intense scrutiny of late amid revelations it received millions of dollars in donations from foreign governments while Hillary Clinton served as secretary of state. Money also flowed to the foundation from companies and businessmen who benefited from their relationship to the Clintons.

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2015/04/26/clinton-foundation-put-on-charity-watch-list-along-with-al-sharptons-shady-nonprofit/#ixzz3cjaleN95

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The article goes on to point out that during the period of 2009 to 2012 the foundation only spent 15% of the total $500 Million revenue raised actually went to charitable causes.

Of the remaining $425 Million, salaries and benefits came to $110 Million, $25 Million was spent on travel and the remaining $290 Million went to "other expenses".

Sounds like a gigantic slush fund to me.

Edited June 11, 2015 by chuckd

[arjunadawn]

These are not the most corrupt people in the world, but they are the most corrupt public people in the US (Obama has got to run a close second but even his transgressions had the cover for action of statecraft).

[ABCer]

The faces of pigs and farmers blur into indistinguishable masks.

Just watch from afar.