Hillary Rodham Clinton used her clout as secretary of state to do favors for foreign donors who gave millions to her family foundation â and who paid millions more to her husband, Bill, in speaking fees, a new book charges.
Records show that of the $105 million the former preÜŦsident raked in from speeches over 12 years, about half came during his wifeâs four-year tenure at the State Department.
The claims in âClinton Cash: The Untold Story of How and Why Foreign Governments ðand Businesses Helped Make Bill and Hillary Richâ come just a week after she launched her presidenðtial campaign.
They raise questions about shady foreign money flowing into the Clinton Foundation â and what actions HðŊillary took in her official capacity in exchðĶĐange for the cash.
âDuring Hillaryâs years of public service, the Clintons have conducted or facilitated hundreds of large transactions,â writes author Peter Schweizer, according to , which firðŊst reported the story.
âSome of these transactions have put millions in their ownð· pockets.â
Schweizer â a former speech-writing consultant for President George W. Bush â said he fouðŊnd a clear âpattern of financial transactions involving the Clintons that occurred contemporaneous with favorable US policy decisions benefiting those providing the funds.â
One example of an alleged quid pro quo cited by the Times and other sources involved the State Departmentâs backing of a free-traðde agreement with Colombia that benefited a company founded by a big doð°nor to the Clinton Foundation.
Hillary opposed the trade deal when running for president in 2008 because of the South AmeáĐáĐáĐáĐáĐáĐâĪâĪâĪâĪáĐðâĪâĪâĪâĪáĐâĪâĪâĪâĪáĐðąáĐáĐáĐrican countryâs poor record on workersâ rights.
But then the coâmpany, Canadian-based Pacific Rubiales, and its founder, Clinton Foundation board member Frank Giustra, donated âmillionsâ to the foundation, reported.
In 2010, the State Department under Hillð ary lauded Colombiaâs human rights record, allowing Giustraâs company to reap huge profits.
The book also examines lucrative development contracts awarded to foundation donors following the devastating Haitian earthquake in 2010. And it reports that Hillaryâs brother, Tony Rodham, sat on the board of a small North Carolina ðmining company that in 2012 got one of only two coveted âgold exploitation permitsâ from the government of Haiti â the first issued in more than 50 years, according to the website Breitbart.
Bill Clinton himself was paid $1âmillion by a Caðnadian bank and major shareholder in the Keystone XL oil pipeline as thę§e State Department was considering the project, Schweizer charges.
Records show that Billâs earnings from appearance fees â both foreign and âdomestic â spiked at $17 million in 2012, Hillaryâs last year at State.
During Hillaryâs ęĶfour-year stint as secretary of state, the ex-president earned about $48 million of a $105âmillion spðeaking haul amassed between 2001 and 2013.
More than ðhalf of the $48 million was paid by companies in China, Japan, Canada, Russia, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and the CaęĶyman Islands, among others.
The author writes that âof the 13 Clinton speeðŊches that fetched $500,000 orð more, only two occurred during the years his wife was not secretary of state.â
Bill Clinton is believed to be theðķ richest living ex-prâesident and one of the 10 wealthiest ever.
Most estimates put the power coupleâs combined net worth at $100 million to $200 mð °illion.
Bill Clinton is ï·―believed to be the richest living ex-president and one ofęĶĶ the 10 wealthiest ever.
Some of the fees were paid at the Clintonsâ request to their foundation â netting domestic donors a fat tax break. But most went ðĄdirectly to Bill, and the fees make up the familyâs main source of income, The Washington Post reported.
Following Hillaryâs decision to run for president, the foundation itself announced last week it would accept donations only from Australia, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Canada, Germany andāą Norway.
The 186-page book will go on sale May 5, but Hillary wasted no time dismissiâng ðit.
âWeâre back into the political season and, therefore, we will be subjected to all kinds of distraction and attacks and Iâm ready for that. I know that that comes, unfortunately, with the territory,â she said Monday in Keð·ene, NH.
âIt is, I think, worth noting that the Republicans seem to oðĶĐnly be talking about me. I donât know what theyâd talk about if I wasnât in the race, but I am in the race and hopefully weâllð get on to the issues,â she added.
Allison Moore, spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee, responded by bringing up Hillaryâs use of a private email account for official business and her deletion of thousðands of emails.
Additional reporting by Geoff Earle and Marisa Schultz