Clinton Foundation’s Ties to Chinese Company Come Under Scrutiny

Bill Clinton accepted a donation to his foundation from a Chinese Internet company accused of censorship, in lieu of his normal speaking fee for a presentation in 2005, reports the Los Angeles Times.

As his wife, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, increasingly speaks out against China in regards to its treatment of Tibet, Mr. Clinton’s relationship with foreign donors is coming under greater scrutiny.

The William J. Clinton Foundation has come under criticism for its secrecy regarding foreign donors, the newspaper notes. The foundation, which has raised $500-million over the last 10 years, has accepted money from the Saudi royal family and the Middle East countries of the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Qatar, among others.

The foundation has refused to release a full list of donors and that has made international and philanthropic experts uneasy, the newspaper says, particularly as Mrs. Clinton has spoken of her husband serving as a roving international ambassador.

The Chinese donation “is a perfect example of why it’s critical for both Clintons to provide prompt and complete disclosure of all their sources of income, not just personal sources but also his foundation, “ Sheila Krumholz, executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics, told the newspaper.