Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump launched an assault Monday on the Clinton Foundation, saying that foreign donations and other ethical conflicts made Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton’s family charity “the most corrupt enterprise in political history.”
Mr. Trump called on the Clintons to immediately “shut it down,” after the Clinton Foundation last week announced that it would stop accepting foreign donations if Mrs. Clinton is elected president in November.
The attack built upon Americans’ distrust of Mrs. Clinton and ongoing revelations about the Clinton Foundation’s questionable conduct while she was secretary of state.
“Hillary Clinton is the defender of the corrupt and rigged status quo. The Clintons have spent decades as insiders lining their own pockets and taking care of donors instead of the American people,” Mr. Trump said in a statement.
“It is now clear that the Clinton Foundation is the most corrupt enterprise in political history. What they were doing during Crooked Hillary’s time as Secretary of State was wrong then, and it is wrong now. It must be shut down immediately,” he said.
When the Clinton Foundation announced it would stop taking foreign money during a Clinton presidency, former President Bill Clinton announced that he would stop giving paid speeches, which also raised red flags of possible conflicts of interest for his wife.
SEE ALSO: Donald Trump: ‘Corrupt’ Clinton Foundation ‘must be shut down immediately’
Mr. Trump has previously raised the issue of suspect corruption involving the Clinton Foundation but the attack Monday appeared to be a newly coordinated tactic.
The Trump campaign released a fact sheet outlining conflicts of interest involving the Clinton Foundation.
The fact sheet, titled “Clinton Corruption: Ten inconvenient truths about the Clinton Foundation,” included:
• Major overlaps between Clinton’s campaign donors and her foundation donors, raising ethical red flags.
• Several major Clinton Foundation donations came from companies lobbying the federal government.
• The charity accepted millions of dollars in donations from foreign governments.
• The Clinton foundation accepted millions of dollars more from foreign entities while Mrs. Clinton was secretary of state.
• Foundation announced it would stop taking foreign and corporate money if Mrs. Clinton is elected president, but the Trump campaign noted reports of other Clinton charities that would be able to continue the practice.
• An FBI request to investigate the Clinton Foundation was blocked by the Justice Department, according to reports.
• Mrs. Clinton’s chief of staff when secretary of state simultaneously performed work for the Clinton Foundation.
• The Clinton Foundation reportedly failed to disclose $26.4 million in speaking honoraria while Mrs. Clinton was secretary of state.
• The Clinton Foundation spent more than $50 million on travel since 2003.
• S.A. Miller can be reached at smiller@washingtontimes.com.
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