When Hillary Clinton was nominated as secretary of state, the Clinton Foundation signed an agreement seeking to avoid conflicts of interest between the foundation and Clinton's cabinet post.
Now that Hillary is running for president, much has been made about how the Clinton Foundation did, or did not, keep up its end of the 2008 agreement.
Publish annually the names of new contributors: The government of Algeria gave $500,000 to the foundation in 2010. The foundation failed to report that until 2015 and did not notify the State Department. "This donation was disclosed publicly on the Clinton Foundation website; however, the State Department should have also been formally informed," the foundation said.
Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI): Report material increases from current donors and new donors, and notify the State Department. CHAI failed to update its donor lists from 2010 to 2013. During that time, five new countries made donations - Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Swaziland, Sweden and Switzerland. Two other nations, the United Kingdom and Austria, significantly increased their giving.
Clinton Global Initiative (CGI): President Bill Clinton will not solicit funds. It's unclear if Clinton's appearance as opening speaker violates the agreement. The memorandum of understanding signed in 2008 stated that "President Clinton will continue in his role as principal host and be identified as CGI's Founding Chairman." The big money that changes hands at the annual meetings goes directly from donors to doers, like nongovernmental aid groups, and never passes through the coffers of the foundation itself.
Several news organizations have noted the renewed flow of money from foreign governments to the CGI after Hillary Clinton left the State Department in 2013. But whether the money comes from countries in the Middle East, Europe, Asia, Africa or South America, the terms of the 2008 agreement don't apply. Foundation spokesman Craig Minassian said that now that Hillary Clinton is a candidate for president, the May meeting in Marrakech will be the last one held on foreign soil for as long as she is running for the White House or becomes its next occupant. Minassian said that donations by foreign governments will also stop.
The Clinton Global Initiative has done the following: Publish contributors as of 2009; incorporate as a separate entity; President Clinton will not serve as an officer or director; President Clinton will no longer send sponsorship letters; no contributions from foreign governments; no CGI International events outside the United States; the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI); continue existing HIV/AIDS programs for current foreign country donors; and the Climate Initiative, Giustra Sustainable Growth Initiative, Hunter Development Initiative, with the same reporting rules for foreign country donors as CHAI.
Fox corrects Rand Paul
Sen. Rand Paul said on Fox News the attack in Garland, Texas, where both men were shot dead was "an example of how we do need to secure our border." But neither of the attackers crossed the border to gain access to the U.S. Fox's Greta Van Susteren corrected Paul: Both of the attackers - Nadir Soofi and Elton Simpson - were Americans. Neither man needed to sneak into the U.S. via the southern border. Nor were they visitors to the U.S. They were both American citizens living in Phoenix as roommates, and both were believed to have been radicalized in Arizona, largely via the Internet. To suggest this particular case is an example of the need to secure the southern border is simply wrong.
Chip Tuthill lives in Mancos. Websites used: www.factcheck.org and www.politifact.com.