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Clinton Foundation Donations Fell 37 Percent During Hillary’s Failed Presidential Run

By Tara West
Published on: 09:43 PST, Nov 20, 2016

Tax filings indicate that the Clinton Foundation took a huge hit during Hillary Clinton’s failed presidential run with donations falling 37 percent over the course of her campaign. The tax documents noted a $64 million decline in donations in 2015 compared to 2014, a decline which occurred shortly after Hillary left the organization in April 2015 to pursue her run for the presidency.

The New York Post reveals that the Clinton Foundation’s profits fell an astonishing 37 percent during Hillary’s failed presidential bid. The donations dropped 37 percent with contributions clocking in at $108 million in 2015, down from $172 million in 2014. The decline in donations reportedly began after Hillary Clinton announced her presidential bid in April 2015.

Clinton stepped away from the Clinton Foundation over fears that donations could be viewed as a “conflict of interest” should Clinton win the presidency. The Clinton Foundation announced that they would no longer accept foreign donations if Hillary were to win the presidency. With Hillary stepping away from her role in the organization, Chelsea Clinton was given a more active role in the foundation alongside her father.

Despite the Clinton’s continued efforts within the Clinton Foundation, the donations would fall $64 million as Hillary stepped back from paid speaking engagements and became unavailable for foundation business. In fact, $3.24 million in the donation decline can directly be attributed to Hillary’s cut in her foundation speaking engagements. The report indicates that Hillary Clinton brought in $357,500 in speaking fees for the foundation in 2015, whereas in 2014 the former Secretary of State’s speeches brought in $3.6 million.

In addition to a drop in finances, the New York Post indicates that Chelsea Clinton’s more active role in the organization also caused some internal strife. The division reportedly began back in 2013 when the foundation was renamed the Bill, Hillary, and Chelsea Clinton Foundation.

Chelsea’s friend Eric Braverman was hired to run the organization but allegedly clashed with a senior Clinton adviser and foundation board chairman Bruce Lindsey. The result, Braverman left the organization after just 18 months. Braverman may not have been the only casualty of Chelsea Clinton’s role in the organization. Wikileaks released a series of emails regarding the Clinton Foundation that indicate that Chelsea and Bill Clinton may have nearly driven a staffer to commit suicide.

The NY Post reveals that a Clinton Foundation staffer may have tried to commit suicide over “stress” in the workplace. An email from the Podesta email dump reveals that Doug Band, a top aide to Bill Clinton, was fed up with Chelsea Clinton calling her a “spoiled brat.” He also indicated that a staffer named Laura Graham may have tried to kill herself over strife with the young Clinton. The email suggests Graham was considering running her vehicle into a body of water after being “driven to the edge” by Chelsea and Bill.

“Late last night, Laura Graham called me as she couldn’t reach my brother or her shrink. She was on Staten Island in her car parked a few feet from the waters edge with her foot on the gas pedal and the car in park. She called me to tell me the stress of all of this office crap with wjc and cvc as well as that of her family had driven her to the edge and she couldn’t take it anymore.”

Band went on to accuse Chelsea of being “more concerned with a mostly false story” regarding Band’s company Teneo than her role in the potential suicides of both Laura and another allegedly troubled co-worker named Bruce. It is unclear if the suicide stories are true; however, what is clear is that Doug Band seemed to have a serious problem with Chelsea and her role within the Clinton Foundation.

With the large donor base for the foundation and documented inner turmoil, it should come as no surprise that the Clinton Foundation became a focal point of the presidential election with president-elect Donald Trump calling the foundation a “pay-for-play” scheme and “a criminal enterprise.”

What do you think of the Clinton Foundation’s drop in donations due to Hillary’s presidential campaign? With Hillary out of politics for the time being, do you think she will take a more active role in the Clinton Foundation once again?

[Featured Image by Matt Rourke/AP Images]

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