Robby Mook, campaign manager for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, identified “money from foreign governments” as the Clinton Foundation’s top “vulnerability issue.”
Mook listed the potential communications and ethical issues in a Feb. 25, 2015 email to campaign chair John Podesta and Clinton aide Huma Abedin.
The correspondence was released Tuesday with the latest section of Podesta’s emails released by WikiLeaks.
The list is remarkably similar to the Clinton Foundation issues that continue to dog the Democratic candidate with two weeks remaining in the campaign. Just last week another Podesta email revealed that the King of Morocco had donated $12 million to the Clinton Foundation in anticipation of a meeting with Secretary of State Clinton.
Mook writes, “Below is a list of key vulnerability points for consideration. John, I added some important process questions at the end per our discussion this morning.”
Under the heading, “Donation and candidate participation,” Mook includes: “Money from foreign governments, Domestic or foreign individual donors with vetting issues (i.e. the campaign and foundation should agree on vetting criteria and jointly discuss any donors who fall outside the criteria); HRC [Hillary Rodham Clinton] attending Foundation events and HRC’s name remaining in the Foundation name.”
Mook also discusses “operational issues” and lists “travel on corporate or donated planes…lavish/high-end hotels for events, overseas events with foreign leaders or government officials” as areas of potential difficulty.
He writes that he is concerned about the Clinton Foundation issuing “reports that are critical of its own progress.” An internal audit, unearthed by WikiLeaks, revealed that the foundation “may have misled the IRS.” (RELATED: BOMBSHELL: Clinton Foundation Donors Expected ‘Benefits In Return For Gifts’)
Mook also worries about “process questions,” specifically “who presents information to HRC and the family on vulnerabilities and press issues? Who needs to be engaged in discussing press matters…who has the ultimate say on press language?” and “Who is engaged in the sign-off process?”