Why the Clinton Library is a Problem

We worry in this country about the undue influence of money in political campaigns. So much so in fact that we set a $2300 limit on how much any individual can donate to a Presidential campaign. The media works its collective fingers to the bone poring over the records to see how much money various donors have given to candidates over the course of their political lives, and rightly so.

But what if there was a Presidential candidate whose spouse received half a billion dollars in unreported contributions for one of their pet projects. What if fully 10% of those contributions were from foreign sources? What if $10 million of that money came from a single foreign entity that not only would be certain to have business before the new President, but who is deeply embroiled in our problems in the Middle East and a huge beneficiary on our dependence upon foreign oil? Would that be important?

Well, that is exactly the case.

The Bill Clinton Foundation, the charity set up by the Clintons to fund the Bill Clinton library has received over half a billion dollars in donations. The Clintons steadfastly stonewall the idea of releasing the foundation's donor list, even though part of the list has apparently been sold to a marketing firm.

The New York Times, in their investigation into this topic, came up with a list of 97 donors who had together contributed more than $69 million to the Clinton Foundation.

The Washington Post reports that 10% of the cost of the Clinton Library came from overseas donors, with an astonishing $10 million dollars coming from Saudi Arabia. Other donors include he king of Morocco, a foundation linked to the United Arab Emirates, and the governments of Kuwait and Qatar.

Why is this important? Exactly how much influence can $10 million buy? Would we tolerate any other candidate whose spouse had received such contributions from entities and individuals with potential conflicts of interest? How will these contributions affect our Middle East and energy policies if Hillary Clinton becomes President?

Critics will argue that the Bill Clinton Foundation is just that, and has no connection to Hillary. Tell that to the foundations former fundraising head and current board member Terry McAuliffe, now Hillary's campaign manager. Also, note this curious fact from the Times.

As the scope of the foundation expanded from the Clinton library into issues like treating AIDS in the developing world and addressing global poverty and climate change, and Mrs. Clinton moved closer to announcing her candidacy, the pace of giving quickened. Last year, contributions reached $135 million, a 70 percent increase over the previous year. Two-thirds came from just 11 donors.

The Times article also lists numerous examples of possible influence of donations to the foundation upon prior Clinton administration policy. They also note a large overlap between foundation donors and donors to the Hillary Clinton campaign.

Hillary Clinton supporters often say that one of her advantages is that she's been "fully vetted" by the press, and that all the dirt possible on her has already come out. I think that the Clinton Foundation story shows that we haven't even begun to plumb the well of fodder for anti-Hillary campaign stories by the Republicans. I think it also proves as a cautionary tale for all voters, perhaps making us think about exactly what we might be getting with the Clintons back in the White House.