Clinton Foundation defies conservatives, will keep accepting foreign money

Clinton Foundation defies conservatives, will keep accepting foreign money

However, the charity will compromise somewhat by disallowing direct contributions from 10 countries, half of them Middle Eastern nations.

The Clinton Foundation’s board said it will continue to accept donations from foreign governments despite an outcry from the right who complain that it’s a conflict of interest for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton — although the foundation did concede to only accepting donations from six nations.

The Clinton Foundation, instead of backing down entirely or ignoring the complaints, is seeking a compromise by having her charity, which relies on millions of dollars donated from around the world, only accept donations in the future from the governments of Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and the United Kingdom, according to an Associated Press report.

Clinton had already resigned from the board last week in preparation for her run for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination, and the foundation’s move appears to be intended to insulate her as her campaign begins in earnest.

Other nations outside of those six could still have an influence, it just wouldn’t be allowed in the form of direct contributions. The other governments could participate in the Clinton Global Initiative, which is aimed at having donors match contributions from others to tackle international problems.

In addition, the foundation will start disclosing its donors once every quarter rather than doing so once every year, answering the argument that it wasn’t transparent with who donated to the charity.

Clinton has had to answer tough questions about her charity’s reliance on donations from foreign governments, arguing that the foundation received money from “hundreds of thousands of donors,” according to the report.

In all, about 16 nations gave direct grants between $55 million and $130 million between 2001 and 2015. Six of them are the ones that will be allowed to keep donating, while the other 10 are Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Kuwait, Algeria, Brunei, Taiwan, Italy, and the Dominican Republic.

Craig Minassian, the foundation’s spokesman, said that the charity would be “reinforcing its commitment to accountability while protecting programs that are improving the lives of millions of people around the world.”

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