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The Clinton Foundation’s involvement with foreign donors has been a source of frequent controversy for Hillary Clinton, with a new book detailing alleged preferential treatment for entities who fundraised for the foundation during her time at the State Department.
Now comes another blow: a major charity rating organization added the Clinton Foundation to its watchlist, raising questions about its business model.
Charity Navigator is an organization that rates the reputability of various charities and puts them on a watchlist if they fail to meet certain criteria.
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In putting the Clinton Foundation on the list, Charity Navigator said, “We had previously evaluated this organization, but have since determined that this charity’s atypical business model can not be accurately captured in our current rating methodology.”
Charity Navigator then listed a number of media reports that prompted its reevaluation of the Clinton Foundation.
“On February 19, 2015, the Wall Street Journal reported that as secretary of state, Hillary Clinton ‘was one of the most aggressive global cheerleaders for American companies, pushing governments to sign deals and change policies to the advantage of corporate giants such as General Electric Co., Exxon MobilCorp., Microsoft Corp. and Boeing Co.,'” Charity Navigator’s website read.
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“The article goes on to state that ‘at the same time, those companies were among the many that gave to the Clinton family’s global foundation set up by her husband, former President Bill Clinton.’ The article says that ‘at least 60 companies that lobbied the State Department during her tenure donated a total of more than $26 million to the Clinton Foundation, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of public and foundation disclosures.'”
Charity Navigator also cited Politico’s report that, “The Clinton Foundation failed to submit a $500,000 donation from the Algerian government to the State Department for approval under an ethics agreement put in place as Hillary Clinton was being confirmed as secretary of state.”
In addition, Politico reported that Clinton Foundation CEO Eric Braverman abruptly left the foundation, “partly from a power struggle inside the foundation between and among the coterie of Clinton loyalists who have surrounded the former president for decades and who helped start and run the foundation.”
Charity Navigator also mentioned an op-ed piece from MarketWatch, in which it was said “that if Hillary Clinton runs for president, it will consider whether to continue accepting contributions from foreign governments, a step that would be aimed at avoiding the appearance of conflicts of interest.”
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The organization added that, “We reserve the right to reinstate a rating for The Clinton Foundation as soon as we identify a rating methodology that appropriately captures its business model.”
The Clinton Foundation was founded in 1998 and has taken in over $277 billion in income. While donations from foreign governments to the Clinton Foundation were suspended during Hillary Clinton’s stint as secretary of state, they’ve since been resumed and Clinton has made no move of yet to stop them during her run for the White House.
h/t: IJReview
