Bill Clinton defends embattled family foundation

[webfact]

Bill Clinton defends embattled family foundation

By KATHLEEN FOODY

 

ATLANTA (AP) — Former President Bill Clinton said Wednesday that he's proud of people who have donated to the Clinton Foundation and the work the organization has done, as he waded into a dispute that Republicans are hoping will damage his wife's presidential campaign.

 

"We're trying to do good things," Bill Clinton said. "If there's something wrong with creating jobs and saving lives, I don't know what it is. The people who gave the money knew exactly what they were doing. I have nothing to say about it except that I'm really proud. I'm proud of what they've done."

 

He also defended Hillary Clinton's contact with donors to the foundation while serving as secretary of state, saying foundation donors like Bangladeshi economist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus have no trouble reaching officials around the world.

 

An Associated Press report Tuesday found more than half of the non-government officials who met with Hillary Clinton while she was secretary of state gave money to the Clinton Foundation.

 

The meetings between Clinton, now the Democratic presidential nominee, and foundation donors don't appear to violate legal agreements both Clintons signed before she joined the State Department in 2009. State Department officials have said they are unaware of any agency actions influenced by the foundation.

 

Yet the frequency of the overlaps shows the mixing of access and donations. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has criticized the links between the foundation and the State Department, accusing the Clintons of establishing "a business to profit from public office."

 

Bill Clinton said changes at the foundation are needed if Hillary Clinton becomes president that weren't necessary when she led the State Department. The foundation won't accept foreign donations, and he will stop personally raising money for the foundation, he said.

 

"We'll have to do more than when she was secretary of state, because if you make a mistake there's always appeal to the White House if you're secretary of state," Clinton said. "If you're president, you can't."

 

A statement Clinton issued on Monday said those changes will go into effect if Hillary Clinton is elected. Bill Clinton said Wednesday that the foundation has begun looking for partners to take over some of its work in preparation for that outcome. That type of transition "takes a reasonable amount of time," he said.

 

"You have to do it in a way that no one loses their job, no one loses their income and no one loses their life," he said. "That's all I'm concerned about. We'll do it as fast as we can."

 

-- © Associated Press 2016-08-25

[webfact]

WASHINGTON (AP) - Hillary Clinton defends family foundation, calls AP report 'absurd,' 'a lot of smoke, no fire'

[Pimay1]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Former President Bill Clinton said Wednesday that he's proud of people who have donated to the Clinton Foundation

And the people who have donated are proud of the favors they got from Hillary's State Department after the donations.

[Rancid]

Yeah, rampant corruption used to be well hidden, these days its just paraded out in the open with the biased media ignoring it or the law giving a free pass. Seems they really couldn't be bothered with the subterfuge anymore.

 

What ever happened to the pillars of western civilization?

[thaihome]

I'm a bit puzzled by these accusations of corruption and so called "pay for play" .

What it seems to me they are saying is Hillary did favors for people (of which there is no proof) , not in return for money in her pocket, but to get medication to babies with AIDs in Africa.  And this is a criminal enterprise. 

 

TH 

 

[Chicog]

The whole US political system is based on cash for influence.

What do you think Citizens United is all about for heaven's sake?

The stench of hypocrisy is overbearing.

 

 

[Alive]

Clinton should just cover any losses or waste with his own money. He's loaded so he can do it. Words are enough from the the wealthy.

[Alive]

29 minutes ago, Chicog said:

The whole US political system is based on cash for influence.

What do you think Citizens United is all about for heaven's sake?

The stench of hypocrisy is overbearing.

 

 

 

True. Any politician who cared about the people would speak out against Citizen's United and fight daily to end it. Trump and the Clintons obviously aren't trying to do that.

[TimTang]

48 minutes ago, thaihome said:

I'm a bit puzzled by these accusations of corruption and so called "pay for play" .

What it seems to me they are saying is Hillary did favors for people (of which there is no proof) , not in return for money in her pocket, but to get medication to babies with AIDs in Africa.  And this is a criminal enterprise. 

 

TH 

 

 

Watch "Clinton Cash". There's plenty of proof.

[Chicog]

12 minutes ago, Alive said:

 

True. Any politician who cared about the people would speak out against Citizen's United and fight daily to end it. Trump and the Clintons obviously aren't trying to do that.

 

Really? Fancy that.

 

Clinton pledges constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United ruling

By BENJAMIN ORESKES

 

07/16/16 01:28 PM EDT

 

“The amendment would allow Americans to establish common sense rules to protect against the undue influence of billionaires and special interests and to restore the role of average voters in elections,” a Clinton spokesman said in statement.

 

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/07/hillary-clinton-citizens-united-225658

 

 

[Boon Mee]

11 Calls to Shut Down Clinton Foundation from Left-Wing Media

 

New reporting on allegations that Hillary Clinton used her position as Secretary of State to sell access to major Clinton Foundation donors — charges first detailed in Breitbart News Senior Editor-at-Large Peter Schweizer’s New York Times bestselling book Clinton Cash — have led to a flood of calls from left-wing and center-left media for the Clintons to shut down their multibillion-dollar charity.

 

http://www.breitbart.com/big-journalism/2016/08/24/11-left-leaning-journos-publications-calling-clinton-foundation-shut/

 

Shut it down for God's sake...

[Skywalker69]

2 hours ago, Pimay1 said:

And the people who have donated are proud of the favors they got from Hillary's State Department after the donations.

Donald J. Trump gave more than $100,000 to the the Clinton Foundation, the organization the Republican nominee now calls "the most corrupt enterprise in political history."

 

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/08/24/politics/trump-clinton-foundation-donation/index.html?sr=fbCNN082516trump-clinton-foundation-donation1246AMVODtopLink&linkId=28025613

[Pimay1]

7 minutes ago, Skywalker69 said:

Donald J. Trump gave more than $100,000 to the the Clinton Foundation, the organization the Republican nominee now calls "the most corrupt enterprise in political history."

 

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/08/24/politics/trump-clinton-foundation-donation/index.html?sr=fbCNN082516trump-clinton-foundation-donation1246AMVODtopLink&linkId=28025613

I bought a new Ford one time. It was fine at first but it turned out to be the worse car I ever owned.

[JDGRUEN]

1 hour ago, thaihome said:

I'm a bit puzzled by these accusations of corruption and so called "pay for play" .

What it seems to me they are saying is Hillary did favors for people (of which there is no proof) , not in return for money in her pocket, but to get medication to babies with AIDs in Africa.  And this is a criminal enterprise. 

 

TH 

 

 

You should read more... the vast majority of the Clinton Foundation goes no where - except to enrich supporters with jobs and contracts... go take a look at the funds dispersal ... check out Haiti for example ...

[Baerboxer]

Bill Clinton - man of truth.

 

"I did not have sex with that girl"

 

I had a sexual relationship with her that was inappropriate, in fact it was wrong".

 

Seems lying is perfectly acceptable unless he's found out and then has to begrudgingly admit the truth and simply gloss over the fact he lied, under oath, to part of the government.

 

 

[Usernames]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

the people who gave the money knew exactly what they were doing.

 

 

I'm sure they did. 

[Scott]

Troll posts removed.  

[spidermike007]

Though the entire political system in the US is completely corrupt, and it is a completely broken system, the Clintons have elevated that corruption to an entirely new level. Their foundation is as filthy as it gets. The uranium deal in Kazakhstan in all you need to know about that den of thieves. And I am no Crump supporter. I despise the man. But, I am fond of facts. And here are just a few of them:

 

http://www.newyorker.com/news/amy-davidson/five-questions-about-the-clintons-and-a-uranium-company

 

At the heart of the tale are several men, leaders of the Canadian mining industry, who have been major donors to the charitable endeavors of former President Bill Clinton and his family. Members of that group built, financed and eventually sold off to the Russians a company that would become known as Uranium One. Beyond mines in Kazakhstan that are among the most lucrative in the world, the sale gave the Russians control of one-fifth of all uranium production capacity in the United States. Since uranium is considered a strategic asset, with implications for national security, the deal had to be approved by a committee composed of representatives from a number of United States government agencies. Among the agencies that eventually signed off was the State Department, then headed by Mr. Clinton’s wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton. As the Russians gradually assumed control of Uranium One in three separate transactions from 2009 to 2013, Canadian records show, a flow of cash made its way to the Clinton Foundation. Uranium One’s chairman used his family foundation to make four donations totaling $2.35 million. Those contributions were not publicly disclosed by the Clintons, despite an agreement Mrs. Clinton had struck with the Obama White House to publicly identify all donors. Other people with ties to the company made donations as well.

https://www.intellihub.com/clinton-foundation-payoffs-promised-hammond-ranch-other-publically-owned-lands-russia/

 

 

[Scott]

A post with a reference to the royal family has been removed.  

[thaihome]

2 hours ago, JDGRUEN said:

 

You should read more... the vast majority of the Clinton Foundation goes no where - except to enrich supporters with jobs and contracts... go take a look at the funds dispersal ... check out Haiti for example ...

 

I have researched and the Clinton Foundation has received an "A" rating from Charity Watch with 88% of donations spent on programs, well above the minimum standard of 75%.

https://www.charitywatch.org/ratings-and-metrics/bill-hillary-chelsea-clinton-foundation/478

TH 

[Credo]

The money given to the foundation does not enrich the Clintons.  It is for the projects that the Foundation supports.   

 

The Russians controlling Uranium has nothing to do with the foundation and as a strategic asset it cannot be exported or sold, except as directed by law.   

 

 

[Scott]

I have written many proposals for grants from foundations.   It is not unusual for money to be transferred from one foundation to another charitable institutions.  It is quite unusual for a foundation to be giving money to anything other than a charitable institution and would probably lose their non-profit status if they did.

 

There are probably a thousand charities involved in various aspects of AIDS/HIV, for example, and in order not to duplicate the same efforts, money for education will often be funneled from one charitable foundation to another.   The same with research.  This helps to prevent duplication of services and maximize the funds available.  

 

Whereas governments throw large amounts of money at a problem sometimes with little to show for it, charities endeavor to get the maximum bang for their money.  

 

I have done no research specifically on the Clinton Foundation, but to maintain their status as a charity, they would be watched carefully.   The tax folks get really itchy fingers if they think the rules are broken and the tax-exempt status is revoked.   This has major tax implications for anyone who has donated to a foundation as well.  

[Boon Mee]

Well, there must be something seriously amiss with this Clinton Foundation to warrant Rudi Guiliani, the former well-respected Mayor of NYC to label it a Racketeering Enterprise. 

 

http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/rudy-giuliani-clinton-foundation-racketerring-enterprise/2016/08/21/id/744499/

[Chicog]

3 hours ago, JDGRUEN said:

 

You should read more... the vast majority of the Clinton Foundation goes no where - except to enrich supporters with jobs and contracts... go take a look at the funds dispersal ... check out Haiti for example ...

 

 

Since most of the money was pledged by people solicited by the Clinton Foundation, and not the Foundation itself, this is another stupidly vague accusation.

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2016/06/13/did-the-clinton-foundation-raise-hundreds-of-millions-of-dollars-for-a-hospital-in-haiti-that-was-never-built/

 

 

It's the same with the Crown Prince of Bahrain supposedly donating $32 million to the foundation to get access to Clinton.

The story is utter rubbish from top to bottom.

There are valid criticisms in that Post article by the way, but it is cynical at best to try and tar everything the Foundation does with the same brush.

 

Just the usual GOP nitpicking, even more sickeningly hypocritical when some of them have made a career taking backhanders from the Kochs and the NRA to vote against the wishes and/or interests of the American people.

[kamahele]

A story about nothing actually and the Associated Press has so far refused to hand over the entire list to Clinton for her to address publicly because they haven't finished vetting the names themselves.

[mike324]

Well to be fair, Trump is using donor money and charging rent,events, etc to his own / family members companies. He even raised the rent when he has less campaign staff working from the same location! All these politicians are a shady bunch.

[kamahele]

13 minutes ago, Boon Mee said:

Well, there must be something seriously amiss with this Clinton Foundation to warrant Rudi Guiliani, the former well-respected Mayor of NYC to label it a Racketeering Enterprise. 

 

http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/rudy-giuliani-clinton-foundation-racketerring-enterprise/2016/08/21/id/744499/

"well respected"? You can't be talking about Rudy Giuliani for sure. He was well respected on 9-11 but for the most part is considered a nut job both as mayor and since then. He is now prostituting himself in the hopes he will get a handout from Trump if Trump is elected.

[TPI]

1 hour ago, Credo said:

The money given to the foundation does not enrich the Clintons.  It is for the projects that the Foundation supports.   

 

The Russians controlling Uranium has nothing to do with the foundation and as a strategic asset it cannot be exported or sold, except as directed by law.   

 

 

In your opinion? The russians can and do anything they like, in that regard they're similar to the Saudis! The US always lays down and bares its bum for money! It has ever been thus!

[thaihome]

1 hour ago, Scott said:

I have written many proposals for grants from foundations.   It is not unusual for money to be transferred from one foundation to another charitable institutions.  It is quite unusual for a foundation to be giving money to anything other than a charitable institution and would probably lose their non-profit status if they did.

 

There are probably a thousand charities involved in various aspects of AIDS/HIV, for example, and in order not to duplicate the same efforts, money for education will often be funneled from one charitable foundation to another.   The same with research.  This helps to prevent duplication of services and maximize the funds available.  

 

Whereas governments throw large amounts of money at a problem sometimes with little to show for it, charities endeavor to get the maximum bang for their money.  

 

I have done no research specifically on the Clinton Foundation, but to maintain their status as a charity, they would be watched carefully.   The tax folks get really itchy fingers if they think the rules are broken and the tax-exempt status is revoked.   This has major tax implications for anyone who has donated to a foundation as well.  

 

You miss the whole misguided point of the accusations. It has nothing to do with the integrity of the Clinton Foundation and many programs it has to help unfortunate people all over the world.

 

They are saying Hillary solicited donations in return for access and unproven favors while secretary of state. The are using as "proof" her daily calendar that shows she met with major financial and political figures from around the world that were in some cases (not anywhere close to all) donors to the Clinton Foundation (as you might expect major financial and political leaders to be). 

 

This is all about the attempt to get people like you that don't bother to actually read and comprehend what is being said, but instead only see words like pay for play, corruption,  and criminal enterprise  and assume this means the Clinton Foundation  itself is corrupt , instead of seeing that this is a flimsy right wing conspiracy made up of the usual half truths and insinuations.

 

It is obvious that many media sources that have picked this up in some sort of moral equivalency in response to the criticism they have been reporting the outrageous things Trump has been saying.

TH 

 

 

[Boon Mee]

4 minutes ago, thaihome said:

They are saying Hillary solicited donations in return for access and unproven favors while secretary of state. .

TH 

 

 

Unproven are they?  

 

New Abedin Emails Reveal Hillary Clinton State Department Gave Special Access to Top Clinton Foundation Donors

 

http://www.judicialwatch.org/press-room/press-releases/new-abedin-emails-reveal-hillary-clinton-state-department-gave-special-access-top-clinton-foundation-donors/