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Foreign Donors to Clinton Charity Could Prompt Hillary Debate

Friday 19 December 2008

by: Julian Borger  |  The Guardian UK

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Top donors to the William J. Clinton Foundation may raise questions as to Hillary Clinton's existing financial and political ties with world leaders in her nomination to be Obama's secretary of state. (Photo: Anthony Suau / TIME)

    The revelation that the Saudi Arabian government and Indian businessmen and politicians have donated millions of dollars to Bill Clinton's charitable foundation is likely to provoke allegations that his international fundraising could conflict with America's interests if his wife is confirmed as the next US secretary of state.

    By far the biggest donor to the William J Clinton Foundation was Saudi Arabia, which gave a a total of $41m (£27m). Bill and Hillary's good relations with prominent Israeli politicians may defuse the political controversy aroused by Saudi backing, but Pakistani perceptions the US foreign policy establishment is biased towards India are likely to be fuelled by the publication yesterday of the donor list, under a deal agreed with Barack Obama's incoming administration as a precondition for Senator Clinton's nomination.

    There was also potential domestic controversy over some of the foundation's backers. The private security company Blackwater - listed as having made a donation of up to $25,000 - is mired in controversy as five of its employees were indicted by a US grand jury for manslaughter and weapons charges following the deaths of 17 Iraqis in an incident last year in Baghdad. Blackwater Worldwide's contract to protect American diplomats is up for renewal by the state department next year.

    The list does not provide exact donations, instead categorising contributors according to a broad range of sums paid. A wealthy Indian politician, Amar Singh, was listed as giving between $1m and $5m. Singh hosted former president Clinton on a trip to India three years ago, and met Senator Clinton in September to discuss a bilateral agreement on civil nuclear cooperation. That deal has been heavily criticised by counter-proliferation activists as legitimising India's development of nuclear weapons.

    Hillary Clinton's nomination has majority support in the Senate foreign relations committee, but the committee's leading Republican, Richard Lugar, has said there were "legitimate questions" for her to answer about her husband's "cosmic ties" with many of the world's richest people.

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Why no press coverage of the

 Fri, 12/19/2008 - 18:19 — Bruce (not verified)
Why no press coverage of the Carlisle Group funneling money to George Bush's favorite charity, his father and brothers, from the Saudi's? No surprise about the nuclear power deal with UAE that also is being largely ignored by the media. How many millions will ultimately make their way into Bush, Cheney, and Rice's pockets, and a great example of US foreign policy for sale to the highest bidder? The mistake Iran has been making is in not hiring US public relations firms to grease the wheels and make the necessary payoffs. The Republicans are not so much opposed to Iran acquiring nuclear capabilities as in being cut out of the deal, much as with Iraq when Hussein signed oil production deals with companies, none of which were USA based for contributing to the Republican Party's campaign coffers.

The answer to the question

 Fri, 12/19/2008 - 21:11 — Anonymous (not verified)
The answer to the question of why no questioning of the Bush crime family is simple. The U.S. mainstream media are prostitutes for the [re]publican party and are part of and owned by the corporate elite who run the U.S. That elite are more powerful than the Clinton Democratic Party elite at the moment. Add to this the facts that show when the Bush crime family are threatened people mysteriously die from 'accidents', 'suicides' or 'overdoses'. George Bush Jr. and Richard Cheney clearly lied the U.S. into attacking Iraq and Lugar wants to raise "legitimate questions" about Clinton. Where are the "legitimate questions" about George Bush Jr. and Richard Cheney whose actions have murdered over 4200 U.S. military? The elite that the U.S. maintream media and Lugar represent are missing in action on these "legitimate questions".

More to the point with the

 Fri, 12/19/2008 - 23:56 — Tom Camfield (not verified)
More to the point with the Saudis is that the Bush family presidents have been in bed with them for years, as illustrated by the attitudes and activities of od both father and son presidents. A lot of awe over royalty and all its glitter, and sucking up over oil, I suppose. So who cares if Clinton, while out of office, has accepted monetary contributions for a charitable foundation? Hillary also is her own woman, and her ethics are every bit as strong as Bill's--way far and above anything akin to principles we've seen coming out of the White House during the past eight years. Let's maintain our focus here and get off these Limbaugh-type speculations that contribute absolutely nothing to the nation's (and the world's) well being.