Clinton Prioritized Meetings With Foundation Donors

Clinton Prioritized Meetings 

With Foundation Donors

A new report from the Associated Press found that more than half of the people not working for the government who met with Hillary Clinton during her tenure as secretary of state went on to give money to the Clinton Foundation, either as individuals or through companies or groups.

Out of the 154 individuals who met with Clinton in person or over the phone during that time, 85 or more donated to the Clinton Foundation or its programs overseas, the Associated Press found while reviewing State Department calendars. At least 40 of those people donated more than $100,000 each, while 20 gave more than $1 million. Altogether, those 85 individuals donated as much as $85 million, some for the first time.

One of the donors who met with the secretary of state is a world-renowned economist who asked Clinton to help him when the Bangladesh government urged him to resign from his nonprofit bank. Another, a Wall Street executive, requested Clinton's help resolving a visa problem. Around this time, Estee Lauder executives also met with Clinton, while their corporate charity worked with Clinton's department to address gender violence in South Africa.

"There's a lot of potential conflicts and a lot of potential problems," said Douglas White, the former director of Columbia University's graduate fundraising management program and a non-profit expert. "The point is, she can't just walk away from these 6,000 donors."

Former President Bill Clinton has said he and his family have come up with many changes that they will implement to the program if Mrs. Clinton is elected president to avoid potential ethical issues.

"Throughout the process, our top priorities have been preserving our most important programs, supporting the people who work for the Foundation and its affiliated programs, and resolving legitimate conflict of interest questions," Bill Clinton wrote in a letter to supporters, according to Politico.

Many have called for greater transparency between the Clinton Foundation and the White House, should Clinton win the November election.

"The Clintons, as they approach the presidency, if they are successful, will have to work with their attorneys to make certain that rules of the road are drawn up to give confidence to them and the American public that there will not be favoritism," said Richard Lugar, a former Republican senator from Indiana who questioned Mrs. Clinton about the foundation during her secretary of state confirmation hearing, notes AP.