Bill Clinton,  Hillary Clinton

Shocker: Bill Clinton Raises $41 Million from Saudi Arabia and Other Foreign Governments

Clinton-Foundation-Donors

No, it is NOT really a shock. We have known that Bubba has been taking the Saudi and other foreign money for years. But, now under the agreement that Hillary Clinton made with “the One” she and Bill must report the cash.

Former President Bill Clinton’s foundation has raised at least $41 million from Saudi Arabia and other foreign governments that his wife Hillary Rodham Clinton may end up negotiating with as the next secretary of state.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia gave $10 million to $25 million to the William J. Clinton Foundation, a nonprofit created by the former president to finance his library in Little Rock, Ark., and charitable efforts to reduce poverty and treat AIDS. Other foreign government givers include Norway, Kuwait, Qatar, Brunei, Oman, Italy and Jamaica.

The foundation disclosed the names of its 205,000 donors on a Web site Thursday, ending a decade of resistance to identifying the sources of its money. While the list is heavy with international business leaders and billionaires, some 12,000 donors gave $10 or less.

Clinton agreed to release the information after concerns emerged that his extensive international fundraising and business deals could conflict with America’s interests if his wife became Obama’s top diplomat. The foundation has insisted for years it is under no legal obligation to identify its contributors, contending that many expected confidentiality when they donated.

How do you spell conflict of interest for Hillary as Secretary of State? The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee must scrutinize this disclosure and make sure that Hillary is NOT compromised in her dealings with the foreign donors – many of which have conflicts with other donors.

Some notable donations:

  • Amar Singh, a donor in the $1 million to $5 million category, is an Indian politician who played host to Bill Clinton on a visit to India in 2005 and met Hillary Clinton in New York in September to discuss an India-U.S. civil nuclear agreement.
  • The Confederation of Indian Industry, an industrial trade association – $500,000 – $1 million
  • Dave Katragadda, an Indian capital manager with holdings in media and entertainment, technology, health care and financial services – $500,000 – $ 1 million
  • AUSAID, the Australian government’s overseas aid program, and COPRESIDA-Secretariado Tecnico, a Dominican Republic government agency formed to fight AIDS, each gave $10 million to $25 million. Norway gave $5 million to $10 million. Kuwait, Qatar, Brunei and Oman gave $1 million to $5 million each. The government of Jamaica and Italy’s Ministry for Environment and Territory gave $50,000 to $100,000 each.
  • The biggest donations — more than $25 million each — came from two donors. They are the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, a London-based philanthropic organization founded by hedge fund manager Chris Hohn and his wife Jamie Cooper-Hohn and dedicated to helping children, primarily in Africa and India; and UNITAID, an international drug purchase organization formed by Brazil, France, Chile, Norway and Britain to help provide care for HIV-AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis patients in countries with high disease rates.
  • The No. 4 person on the Forbes billionaire list, Lakshmi Mittal, the chief executive of international steel company ArcelorMittal, gave $1 million to $5 million. Mittal is a member of the Foreign Investment Council in Kazakhstan, Goldman Sachs’ board of directors and the World Economic Forum’s International Business Council, according to the biography on his corporate Web site.
  • Harold Snyder, director for Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, the largest drug company in Israel. His son, Jay T. Snyder, serves on the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, which oversees State Department activities, and served as a senior U.S. adviser to the United Nations, where he worked on international trade and poverty – $1 million – $5 million
  • No. 97 on the Forbes billionaire list, Ethiopian-Saudi business tycoon Sheikh Mohammed H. Al-Amoudi – $1 million – $5 million
  • Lukas Lundin, chairman of oil, gas and mining businesses including Tanganyika Oil Company Ltd., an international oil and gas exploration and production company with interests in Syria, and Vostok Nafta Investment Ltd., an investment company that focuses on Russia and other former Soviet republics – $1 million – $5 million
  • Issam Fares, a former deputy prime minister of Lebanon – $1 million – $5 million


Top Israeli American Jewish donors include:

  • TV producer Haim Saban and his family foundation, who donated between $5 million and $10 million, splits his time between homes in Israel and California. “I’m a one-issue guy and my issue is Israel,” he told The New York Times in 2004.
  • Slim-Fast diet foods tycoon S. Daniel Abraham, a donor of between $1 million and $5 million, has been a board member of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which promotes Israel’s interests before the U.S. government.
  • The American Jewish Committee and the United Nations Foundation donated $100,000 to $250,000.

All of the contributor information can be found here.

Is there any wonder why Bill Clinton stonewalled the release of this list during Hillary’s run for the Presidency? Look at the conflicting/competing interests who all gave to Bubba’s library and causes.

Now, with the Obama strategy of pushing Caroline Kennedy for Hillary’s New York Senate seat and thus freezing Hillary out of a return to the Senate and this disclosure Obama now assures NO PRIMARY CHALLENGE to him in four years. And, thus, wounds Hillary’s chances to run for the Presidency in 2016.

Pretty smart strategy, eh?


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