Bill Clinton Interview: Former President Defends Foundation Donations In Controversial Statements [Video]
In an interview, Bill Clinton spoke about the questions surrounding donations to the Clinton Foundation and the statements are raising eye brows and creating much discussion on social media.
The statements follow weeks of accusations regarding questionable donations to the Clinton Foundation, a non-profit organization established by the former President. The allegations were brought to light in the aftermath of Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential candidacy announcement on April 12.
In an exclusive interview with NBC, Bill Clinton answered questions regarding the allegation that his foundations took inappropriate donations while Hillary Clinton was Secretary of State. Speaking to Cynthia McFadden, the former president said the Clinton Foundation has never done anything “knowingly inappropriate.”
The Clintons have been accused of accepting donations from governments that sponsor terrorism and violate human rights, such as Saudi Arabia, which despite being a United States ally, is known for repressing its citizens, especially women. When asked if accepting donations from the Arab country, to the tune of $10 million to $25 million, was wrong Bill Clinton said, “Absolutely not” and added he is proud of the work his foundation has done to help the poor.
“It’s an acknowledgement that we’re going to come as close as we can during her presidential campaign to following the rules we followed when she became secretary of state.”
“There has never been anything like the Clinton Global Initiative, where you’ve raised over $100 billion worth of stuff that helped 43 million people in 180 countries.”
But the most bizarre part of the interview came when Bill Clinton attempted to explain why he charges up to $500,000 per speech, and he would continue to do so should his wife, Hillary, is elected President. Clinton insinuated he would be willing to step down as head of the foundation if she followed him into the Oval Office.
“I might if I were asked to do something in the public interest that I had an obligation to do. Or I might take less of an executive role, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”
“I gotta pay our bills and I also give a lot of it to the foundation every year.”
Bill Clinton also said in the interview that he spends up to two hours researching the subject of his very pricey speeches and that justifies the exorbitant fees. “People like to hear me speak,” he added.
In the book Clinton Clash:The Untold Story of How and Why Foreign Governments and Businesses Helped Make Bill and Hillary Rich, author Peter Schweizer says the Clintons have made $136.5 million since 2001. Schweizer takes a detailed look at the money flow the Foundation receives and the luxurious gifts the former President receives, to which the media turns a blind eye.
Watch the video of the Bill Clinton interview below.
[Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images]
