Politics

Clinton Family Foundation Raises Big Money and Big Questions

Published

11 years ago

May 13, 2015

FILE - In this Oct. 28, 2006 file photo, then-Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., speaks at a benefit gala for the Clinton Foundation at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Millions of dollars in foreign money sloshing around a presidential candidate, even in the name of helping the worlds poor, is bound to spill over into controversy. Doubly so when it comes to the Clintons, Americas two-for-the-price-of-one political family. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow, File)

In this Oct. 28, 2006 file photo, then-Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., speaks at a benefit gala for the Clinton Foundation at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Millions of dollars in foreign money sloshing around a presidential candidate, even in the name of helping the worlds poor, is bound to spill over into controversy. Doubly so when it comes to the Clintons, Americas two-for-the-price-of-one political family. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow, File)

CONNIE CASS, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Millions of dollars in foreign money sloshing around a presidential candidate, even in the name of helping the world’s poor, is bound to spill over into controversy.

Doubly so when it comes to the Clintons, America’s two-for-the-price-of-one political family.

Questions swirling around Bill and Hillary Clinton’s family foundation:

___

WHAT IS IT?

Bill Clinton’s legacy project.

The former president channeled his energy and worldwide connections into a new charity, first called the William J. Clinton Foundation, when he left the White House in 2001. It takes on global poverty, AIDS and other health threats, climate change, childhood obesity and issues affecting women and girls around the world.

In 2013, shortly after former first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton left her post as secretary of state, the name was expanded to the Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation. Daughter Chelsea is vice chair of the board.

Mostly, it’s just known as the Clinton Foundation.

And it’s big.

The tax-exempt nonprofit has raised more than $2 billion for its efforts. It also gets corporations and foreign governments to pump money directly into projects around the world, through the Clinton Global Initiative.

___

WHERE DOES THE MONEY COME FROM?

Wealthy individuals, foreign nations, corporations and political supporters of Hillary Clinton are among the biggest givers. Some have donated millions of dollars.

Before taking office as President Barack Obama’s top diplomat in January 2009, Clinton agreed to begin disclosing the names of the foundation’s donors, to address the new administration’s ethical concerns. She also said the foundation wouldn’t take new foreign-government donations without the approval of the State Department ethics office, to avoid an appearance of a conflict of interest.

Foundation officials recently acknowledged at least one foreign donation during Clinton’s tenure — $500,000 from Algeria for Haitian earthquake relief — was accepted without seeking State approval. They said it was by mistake.

When Clinton stepped down from her government post in February 2013, foreign donations resumed flowing freely, even as she was widely viewed as a future presidential candidate, which she has now become.

At least 16 nations together have given between $55 million and $130 million, according to an Associated Press analysis of contribution ranges provided by the foundation.

After Clinton joined the 2016 presidential field in April, the board announced that it would stop accepting donations from most foreign governments. Officials said they would still take money from six Western nations — Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and the United Kingdom — already financing major programs.

The foundation also said it would begin releasing its donor list quarterly, instead of only once per year.

Clinton resigned from the board when she launched her campaign for the Democratic nomination.

___

WHAT ARE THE CLINTONS’ CRITICS SAYING?

Among the complaints:

— The foundation could serve as a backdoor for governments or foreign citizens hoping to influence a future president. U.S. law bans political campaigns from accepting foreign money.

— Many big donors to the foundation also lobbied the State Department while Clinton was in charge.

— Despite pledges of openness, names of foreign donors who contributed through a Canadian affiliate of the foundation haven’t been made public.

— Some of the foreign sums are mind-boggling. Canadian mining billionaire Frank Giustra, founder of the Canadian affiliate, has given the Clinton Foundation more than $31 million. Ukrainian billionaire Victor Pinchuk and the country of Saudi Arabia each gave between $10 million and $25 million, according to the foundation.

— A new book, “Clinton Cash,” by Peter Schweizer, says the timing of some foreign donations coincides with favorable decisions by U.S. officials, suggesting the possibility of influence-selling. The book points, for example, to government approval of the sale of a uranium mining company Giustra invested in, including its American mines, to the Russian atomic energy agency. Giustra says he had sold his stake by then.

— Donations from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other Mideast nations that deny women equal rights have been criticized by Republican presidential candidates. Sen. Rand Paul said promoting women’s rights while taking millions from countries where “rape victims are publicly lashed” is “a grand hypocrisy.”

— Many of the foundation’s donors are companies and organizations that also paid Bill Clinton six-figure speaking fees while his wife was secretary of state. And several are big contributors to Hillary Clinton’s political campaigns.

— Clinton’s husband and daughter are still on the foundation board, leaving an opening for conflicts of interest. Bill and Chelsea Clinton just wrapped up a nine-day trip to Africa to highlight their charity’s good works. The former president said he would consider stepping down if his wife wins her own term in the Oval Office.

___

WHAT DO THE CLINTONS SAY?

Hillary Clinton hasn’t responded to specific allegations. She dismissed the criticism generally as the kind of “distractions and attacks” to be expected during a presidential campaign.

Her campaign website calls the book “Clinton Cash” the work of a Republican operative making “wild accusations” with no evidence.

Bill Clinton says he’s proud of his foundation’s work, and that 90 percent of donors give $100 or less.

And the big money? There’s nothing “sinister” about getting wealthy people and nations to help the poor in developing countries, Clinton said in an NBC News interview.

“There’s been a very deliberate attempt to take the foundation down,” he said. “And there’s almost no new fact that’s known now that wasn’t known when she ran for president the first time” in 2008.

The State Department said last month that officials conducted a review and found no evidence that any of Clinton’s actions as secretary of state were influenced by donations to the foundation.

___

IS THIS LIKE OTHER PAST PRESIDENTS’ FOUNDATIONS?

Ex-presidents typically have foundations raising money for their presidential libraries, with a focus on education and historical research. Bill Clinton has a library, too.

The Clinton Foundation is more like Jimmy Carter’s nonprofit center, which works for human rights, promotes peace and fights diseases in poor countries. The Carter Center accepts donations from foreign governments and corporations.

A big difference: Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, are no longer in politics.

___

Associated Press writers Stephen Braun, Lisa Lerer and Matthew Lee contributed to this report.

___

Online:

https://www.clintonfoundation.org/

___

Follow Connie Cass on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ConnieCass

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Secretary of State Shirley Weber Pushes Back Against DOJ Demands Over California Voter Rolls

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California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber. File photo.

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber criticized the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for demanding that state election officials investigate voters suspected of being noncitizens just weeks before the Nov. 3 general election.

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Weber said her office received a demand to investigate an unspecified number of individuals the federal government believes are “likely noncitizens.” However, the DOJ did not provide her office with the list and gave California just 48 hours to obtain it, investigate and take action.

The demand comes as the DOJ, working with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), seeks to block California from counting mail-in ballots from approximately 20,000 registered voters whose citizenship status the federal government has questioned.

“State-facilitated voter fraud is unacceptable in the United States of America,” said U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche. “If found responsible in a court of law, the State of California will have seriously undermined confidence in our electoral system and violated laws that protect our nation’s representative system of government.”

According to Weber’s office, the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk received the federal government’s list on a password-protected thumb drive, with the password written on a sticky note.

Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Dean C. Logan said his office declined to access the files because the device did not meet established security standards.

“We have not accessed the drive because doing so would conflict with established data privacy and information security protocols,” Logan said. “We do not consider the device a secure medium.”

Weber also challenged earlier federal allegations that California had 190,000 noncitizens on its voter rolls, saying the Trump administration had failed to provide evidence or explain its methodology despite requests from her office.

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The DOJ’s letters to the California secretary of state and Los Angeles County election officials outline the federal government’s demands.

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Oakland Honors 60 Years of the Black Panther Party at the All Power to the People Gala

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A portion of Broadway from 14th to 17th street was renamed Black Panther Party Boulevard as part of the 60th anniversary of the party’s founding, which was Oct. 15, 1966. Present were (from left) Fredrika Newton, former U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush (the only BPP member elected to Congress); Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee, and District 3 City Councilmember Carroll Fife. Newton, widow of BPP co-founder Huey P. Newton, co-founded the foundation that bears his name as well as the Black Panther Party Museum that is now on BPP Boulevard. Earlier this year, a street was named for BPP co-founder Bobby Seale at 57th and Martin Luther King Jr. Way. Courtesy photo.

By Carla Thomas

Oakland gathered on Oct. 17 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Black Panther Party (BPP), the movement Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale founded in the city six decades ago.

The “All Power to the People” evening gala, at Oakland’s Scottish Rite Center, brought together Panther veterans, families, community leaders, and younger generations for a night of history, music, and recommitment.

The festivities, presented by the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation, began with a black carpet entrance up the staircase to the center. Each side was lined with servers holding trays of champagne for guests to retrieve while walking in.

An energetic U.S. Congresswoman Lateefah Simon opened the program as emcee. Charlotte Hill O’Neal offered libations, and 16-year-old Abayomi Lewis, a Haitian American high school junior from San Francisco, performed BBP’s anthem, “The Meeting.” Young Gifted & Black, a performing arts program that has served Bay Area youth since 2010, followed with an inspirational performance of stepping and speaking truth to power.

During dinner service by Chef Michele McQueen, Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee shared how instrumental the Black Panther Party was to her as a young single parent of two boys. “The Party provided food and lots of support and Fredrika Newton’s mother, a prominent real estate broker and housing rights activist, helped me navigate purchasing my very first home.”

Lee also shared lots of Panther history, including that she was the finance chair for Black Panther Party co-founder, Bobby Seale when he ran for Oakland mayor.

Dr. Xavier Buck, executive director of the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation, spoke of how being held at gunpoint by six New York City police officers in Jamaica Queens, reading the autobiography of Assata Shakur, and learning from Fredrika Newton inspired his life’s work.

“I’ve been poured into by Black Panther Party members throughout the country and what I’ve learned the most from them is “radical love.” The same love that created free breakfast programs, free ambulance services, and free sickle cell anemia testing for the Black community.”

Marvel’s Black Panther author and journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates delivered the keynote address.

“The legacy of the Black Panther Party lives on,” said Coates noting the presence of BPP veterans. He further remarked that people often focus narrowly on how to win, but real moral clarity comes from reflecting on what principles you are willing to stand for—and what you are willing to lose for—even in the face of steep odds.

Fredrika Newton, co-founder and president of the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation, thanked Panther veterans for “all you gave” and expressed hope that attendees would leave with a renewed commitment to the work that remains.

“Seeing Panther veterans, younger generations, and the community united to honor the Party, reminds me why this work has mattered so much,” said Newton.

Everyone in the room joined in song in tribute to Bobby Seale, wishing the 90-year-old well and took pictures with him.

Cyril Innis Jr., known as “Bullwhip,” addressed the issue of political prisoners and fighting for their freedom. The program booklet listed the dozens of imprisoned Panther members who passed away and honored the sacrifices of those still incarcerated.

A Legacy Award, was presented to Charlotte Hill O’Neal, known affectionately as “Mama C.”

“Mama C” has continued the Party’s work from Tanzania, where she and her husband, Pete O’Neal, founder of the Kansas City chapter, have lived in exile since 1970. Together they established the United African Alliance Community Center and the Leaders of Tomorrow Children’s Home which cares for orphans.

“Mama C” ceremoniously circled each table honoring the ancestors of the movement and encouraged guests to call out the names of loved ones who had passed away.

Marc Philpart of the Black Freedom Fund supported the anniversary and pledged to keep investing in the people and organizations carrying the work forward.

Trust for Public Land also marked the occasion, recalling its collaboration with the Panthers and Oakland residents who turned vacant lots into neighborhood gardens in the 1970s.

The Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation opened the Black Panther Party Museum in January 2024, and the museum has since held multiple exhibitions and welcomes more than 30,000 visitors a year on the newly named Black Panther Party Boulevard in downtown Oakland. For more information, go to HueyPNewtonFoundation.org

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The tax would raise an estimated $980 million annually for 14 years to fund the region’s public transit agencies, which are struggling with massive financial deficits. Revenue would go to BART, Muni, Caltrain, Alameda-Contra Costa Transit, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, the San Francisco Bay Ferry, Golden Gate Transit, and other transportation agencies operating in the five counties.

In California, a regional measure for a new sales tax would normally require a two-thirds majority approval if the state Legislature directly places it on a ballot. Transit advocates, however, chose to collect signatures to make the sales tax a citizen-initiated ballot measure that would lower the threshold to a simple majority of votes cast across the five counties.

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