A new book is expected to focus new interest on foreign donations to the Clinton Foundation while Hillary Rodham Clinton served as secretary of state and raise new questions for her presidential campaign about whether the money bought “favors.”
“Clinton Cash: The Untold Story of How and Why Foreign Governments and Businesses Helped Make Bill and Hillary Rich” by Peter Schweizer details a pattern of increased foreign donors and speaking fees for former President Bill Clinton while Mrs. Clinton held sway at the State Department, reported The New York Times.
“We will see a pattern of financial transactions involving the Clintons that occurred contemporaneous with favorable U.S. policy decisions benefiting those providing the funds,” Mr. Schweizer writes.
The book is scheduled for release May 5. The newspaper received an advance copy.
The book has been hotly anticipated and some details have been circulating in Washington.
Sen. Rand Paul, Kentucky Republican and declared 2016 presidential candidate, has said the book will “shock people” and force Mrs. Clinton to answer tough questions about the foundation’s foreign dealings.
The dealings examined in “Clinton Crash” include a free-trade agreement in Colombia that benefited a major foundation donor’s investments in the South American nation, development projects in Haiti after a devastating earthquake in 2010, and more than $1 million in payments to Mr. Clinton by a Canadian bank and major shareholder in the Keystone KL oil pipeline that occurred while the project was under State Department review, according to the newspaper.
Mr. Schweizer, a speechwriting consultant for former President George W. Bush, also delves into Mr. Clinton’s speaking fees, which helped boost the Clintons’ income to at least $136.5 million from 2001 to 2012.
“During Hillary’s years of public service, the Clintons have conducted or facilitated hundreds of large transactions,” writes Mr. Schweizer. “Some of these transactions have put millions in their own pockets.”
His investigation reveals that Mr. Clinton’s speaking fees, which came mostly from foreign governments and individuals, increased substantially during his wife’s tenure as America’s top diplomat.
“Of the 13 Clinton speeches that fetched $500,000 or more, only two occurred during the years his wife was not secretary of state,” he wrote.
Mrs. Clinton was already dogged by questions about foreign donations to the foundation and potential conflicts of interest while she was secretary of state, as well as the possibility for conflicts of interest should she return to the White House.
The Clinton Foundation recently changed its policy for foreign donations, barring donations from all but the closest U.S. allies, such as Germany, Canada and Britain.
The Clinton campaign has dismissed the book as a right-wing hit job.
• S.A. Miller can be reached at smiller@washingtontimes.com.
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