Opposition research PACs are worried that Hillary Clinton is using the Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation as a holding ground for her potential 2016 presidential campaign staff.
According to the Daily Mail, a source close to Clinton revealed that the foundation could indeed be helping lay out the groundwork for Hillary Clinton’s campaign. Although Clinton has yet to officially announce her candidacy, there is little doubt that she will attempt to run for the Democratic nomination.
While the foundation is one of Hillary’s primary endeavors these days, she does not draw her salary from the foundation, nor does she garner her staff’s salaries from the foundation. This disclosure comes after the probing of a Republican research PAC’s pressuring of the Clinton Foundation to provide proof that it is not breaking any rules as the 2016 presidential campaign season approaches.
Hillary’s staff that was under investigation consists of seven high-profile aides, who are reportedly responsible for organizing and managing Clinton’s paid speaking obligations. The presumed presidential candidate has engaged in numerous paid speaking obligations for her newly released memoir, “Hard Choices.” It is unclear whether or not these speaking fees indirectly contribute to the campaign.
Huma Abedin, a longtime Hillary aid and prominent member of the 2016 campaign team (and wife of disgraced politician Anthony Weiner), will likely be a campaign spokeswoman if and when Hillary begins her run for the White House.
These seven crucial aides may work out of the foundation, but they are not directly employed by the foundation. Hillary’s staff is actually paid by her personally.
Hillary’s average speaking fee hovers around $200,000 per engagement. She has been criticized for being out of touch with the average American due to her tremendous wealth. The Clinton family net worth is estimated to be over $100 million.
The America Rising PAC, as well as the Republican National Committee, have requested that the Clinton Foundation provide more transparency on their website. America Rising also requested that both Bill and Hillary provide a full list which speaking fees they have donated to the Clinton foundation as well as a complete list of their travel expenses. America Rising is continuing to pressure the Clinton Foundation as the primaries approach, to figure out just how the Clintons spend their money garnered from both speaking engagements and foundation funds.
“In the past, the Clinton Foundation has spent millions on opulent travel and lodging for her family, financed glitzy, celebrity-fueled donor events and paid key Democratic aides who would likely play key roles in her presidential campaign,” America Rising PAC Executive Director Tim Miller said in an e-mail to reporters. “For Americans to credibly believe these speaking fees are being donated to charitable endeavors, the foundation must be transparent about how and where it has spent its millions since Hillary Clinton joined last year.”