Hillary under the Clinton cloud

Big News Network.com
Friday 19th December, 2008

Former President Bill Clinton has raised millions of dollars from governments and politicians in the Middle East and Asia, raising fresh concerns about the impartiality of his wife Hillary's role as Secretary of State.

Bill Clinton received donations ranging between one and five million dollars from a political party in India, a wind turbine company owned by Tulsi R. Tanti (right), one of the wealthiest Indian businessmen, and the Confederation of Indian Industry which also donated between 500,000 and one million dollars.

Clinton raised at least 46 million dollars from Saudi Arabia and other foreign governments for the William J. Clinton Foundation, which was created to fund his presidential library and fight poverty and disease worldwide.

The Saudi kingdom gave between ten and twenty five million dollars.

Other governments on the donations list include Kuwait, Qatar, Brunei, Oman, Italy and Jamaica.

All donors gave at least 492 million dollars from the inception of the foundation in 1997 to the end of last year.

After years of refusing to divulge his donors, Clinton was forced to release the list to allay concerns about conflict of interests between his international philanthropic fundraising efforts and the worldwide diplomatic role of his wife.

But the large sums given by foreign governments will inevitably play a role at her Senate confirmation hearings next year.