A House bill that would make donations by foreigners to charitable foundations illegal is explicit presumptive Democrat nominee Hillary Clinton is its main target.
Proposed by Texas Republican Louie Gohmert, the CLINTON Act (Contributions Legally Interdicted from Non-citizens To Our Nonprofits) would restrict foundations with any connection to former government officials — including presidents and vice presidents — from accepting donations via individual tied to foreign governments.
The Clinton Foundation became the focal point of controversy for the former secretary of state when stories emerged about the foundation’s foreign donors last year. These donors included a Cyprus-incorporated maker of seamless pipes for the oil and gas industry who has been trading with Iran from 2009 to 2013.
“The corruptive influence of foreign money on our elected officials is evident, and we need to close this loophole,” Gohmert said in a statement to Roll Call.
However, Democrats defended Clinton telling Roll Call that the legislation is just another partisan smear job against Clinton.
“These partisan Republicans can’t help themselves. They are one oversight committee away from an oversight committee on what Hillary Clinton has for breakfast,” said New York Democratic Rep. Steve Israel, a longtime Clinton ally.