The Clinton Foundation accepted millions from foreign governments when Hillary Clinton was secretary of State, according to a report in The Washington Post.
Officials with the foundation disclosed the donations from seven countries, including Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Algeria, Australia, Norway and the Dominican Republic, to the Post on Wednesday.
{mosads}The report is the latest to shine a light on the Clinton Foundation’s fundraising practices, which have attracted scrutiny as Clinton prepares for a 2016 presidential bid.
The foundation during Clinton’s tenure was under a self-imposed ban on accepting contributions from foreign governments, meant to address concerns from the Obama administration about ethical issues. Under the agreement, State Department ethics officials had to approve donations.
But exceptions to that agreement allowed the foundation to continue accepting some funds, according to the Post, including a provision allowing governments that had previously donated to continue.
Foundation officials said that in one case, State Department approval was not sought for a $500,000 donation from the Algerian government, which was spent on relief work in Haiti after a deadly 2010 earthquake.
The Post says that at that time, Algeria’s government was lobbying State Department officials on human rights issues.
The Clinton Foundation said that the donations were used for humanitarian work around the globe.
“As with other global charities, we rely on the support of individuals, organizations, corporations and governments who have the shared goal of addressing critical global challenges in a meaningful way,” Craig Minassian, a foundation spokesman, told the Post.
“When anyone contributes to the Clinton Foundation, it goes towards foundation programs that help save lives.”
Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that the foundation had dropped the ban on foreign donations after Clinton left the Obama administration. But the Post story on Wednesday is the first disclosure from the foundation about contributions accepted during Clinton’s term in office.
Another report in the Post last week noted that the Clintons have raised nearly $2 billion for the foundation since 2001 and that many donors were also contributors to political groups backing the Clintons. In 2013 alone, the tally was $262 million.
Conservative groups were quick to jump on those reports, with America Rising PAC launching a petition calling on Clinton to return the money from foreign nations.