Hillary Clinton has come under ethical scrutiny after her family’s “humanitarian” foundation received millions of dollars from dozens of companies and foreign governments, according to an extraordinary report.
About 60 American companies that lobbied the US State Department between 2009 and 2013 during Clinton’s tenure as secretary of state also donated more than $26 million to the Clinton Foundation, The Wall Street Journalreported on Thursday.
The donors include multinational companies like General Electric, Exxon Mobil, and Boeing, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of public and foundation disclosures.
At least 44 of the 60 companies were involved in so-called philanthropy projects valued at $3.2 billion set up by the Clinton Foundation, which was founded by her husband, former President Bill Clinton.
At least 25 of the companies also contributed to 15 public-private partnerships created by Clinton and coordinated by the US State Department, raising concerns about a conflict of interest.
The connections raise ethical questions although there is no evidence that any laws were broken. Some ethics experts warn that such contributions are inappropriate at a time when she is preparing to run for the White House.
“To a lot of progressive Democrats, Clinton’s ties to corporate America are disturbing,” says Jack Pitney, a politics professor at Claremont McKenna College.
Clinton’s connections to companies “are a bonanza for opposition researchers because they enable her critics to suggest the appearance of a conflict of interest,” Pitney said.
The latest report follows another revelation by The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday that donations from foreign governments to the Clinton Foundation have increased significantly after Hillary left the State Department.
Foreign donors to the Clinton Foundation include the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Australia, Germany and Canada.
On Wednesday, Republican officials rebuked Clinton over the contributions.
“The alarming rate at which these contributions are now coming in presents a massive conflict-of-interest problem for her,’’ said Michael Short, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee.
