The Clinton Foundation likely will refile some tax documents after making “mistakes” by combining government grants with other donations even as former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton moves to deflect an escalating money-for-influence scandal.
Maura Pally, acting CEO of the Clinton Foundation, said in a statement Sunday that the global charity will “likely refile forms for some years” after a voluntary external review, while stressing the total revenue was accurately reported.
“So yes, we made mistakes, as many organizations of our size do, but we are acting quickly to remedy them, and have taken steps to ensure they don’t happen in the future,” Ms. Pally said. “We are committed to operating the Foundation responsibly and effectively to continue the life-changing work that this philanthropy is doing every day.”
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The disclosure came with Mrs. Clinton under fire for the foundation raising funds from foreign governments while she was serving as the Obama administration’s top diplomat. In the latest missive, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich accused Mrs. Clinton of breaking the law by accepting foundation donations from foreign governments during her tenure at the State Department.
“Look, this isn’t a political problem, this is a historic problem,” Mr. Gingrich said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos.”
“My point is they took money from foreign governments while she was Secretary of State. That is clearly illegal,” said Mr. Gingrich. “This is not about politics. It’s illegal. And it’s dangerous to America to have foreign governments get in the habit of bribing people who happen to be the husband of the secretary of state or the next president of the United States.”
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Mr. Gingrich also said that Mrs. Clinton was benefiting from favorable treatment, saying, “If this was any person but Hillary Clinton, they’d be indictment right now for a clearly straightforward problem.”
The disclosures came in a soon-to-be-released book, “Clinton Cash” by Peter Schweizer, a former fellow at the Hoover Institution. In an appearance Sunday on the same show, he said there were a dozen instances in which donations overlapped with policy decisions, adding, “Certainly, I think it warrants investigation. With that investigation will reveal, we’ll see.”
The Clinton Foundation received $2.35 million in donations from the Canadian mining company Uranium One as it was being taken over by a Russian company, according to the New York Times, which was provided with a preview of material from Mr. Schweizer’s book.
Ms. Pally said the Clinton Giustra Enterprise Partnership, one of seven foundation initiatives, receives funding from a separate organization in Canada. She said that partnership does not list its donors on the website because under Canadian law they are not disclosed without prior permission from each donor.
The Clinton campaign has argued that the book fails to produce any evidence to back up the allegation of a quid pro quo. During Sunday’s interview, Mr. Stephanopoulos, a top aide in the administration of President Clinton, asked whether the author had any “evidence that she actually intervened” on behalf of donors.
“No, we don’t have direct evidence. But it warrants further investigation because, again, George, this is part of the broader pattern,” Mr. Schweizer said. “You either have to come to the conclusion that these are all coincidences or something else is afoot.”
Clinton campaign spokesman Josh Schwerin said in a statement Sunday to Business Insider that the book “is nothing more than a tangled web of conspiracy theories backed by no actual evidence.”
“By finally admitting that he omitted key details and has no direct evidence, the author of ‘Clinton Cash’ just confirmed what many media reports had already made clear,” Mr. Schwerin said.
Mr. Gingrich argued otherwise, mocking the notion that a “quid pro quo” smoking gun is the standard for claims of public corruption.
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