In an exclusive interview with NBC News’ Cynthia McFadden, Bill Clinton defended the Clinton Foundation’s work, and he argued that the charity had never done anything “knowingly inappropriate.” Bill Clinton also expressed “no regrets” about accepting foreign cash, noting that the money was being put to good use to help people all around the world.
The mainstream media has been obsessed with reporting on the dubious allegations made by GOP operative Peter Schweizer, in his anti-Hillary hit piece Clinton Cash. By contrast, Bill Clinton decided to remind the press of the good things the Clinton Foundation has accomplished.
Clinton outlined a number of successful initiatives, including the “Wings to Fly” program which has helped 10,000 impoverished children in Kenya go to high school. The program boasts of a 94 percent high school graduation rate, with a whopping 98 percent of those graduates going on to attend college.
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The Clinton Foundation has also set up a vaccination center in Tanzania. The organization is also involved in fighting the spread of AIDS/HIV in Africa, and they helped coordinate the delivery of medical equipment and supplies to Liberia during the recent Ebola outbreak there.
Often lost in the discussion of where the Clinton Foundation money comes from, is the discussion of what the money is doing. For the people in the developing world who need medical supplies and educational opportunities, where the money originated is far less important than where it is sent.
Bill Clinton chastised the press noting that they seemed to hold the Clintons to a stricter standard of disclosure than other candidates running for president. Clinton stated:
All I’m saying is the idea that there’s one set of rules for us and another set for everybody else is true.
The people who have attacked the foundation have practiced selective nondisclosure. I really trust the American people to figure it out. I always have. And so far, I haven’t been disappointed.
Bill Clinton has a valid argument. Pack journalists have been hounding the Clintons about foreign donations, based upon a litany of unsubstantiated allegations made by Peter Schweizer. Schweizer is a partisan author who has a track record of promoting inaccurate stories. If the press is going to treat Schweizer with credibility that he hasn’t earned, at the very least, they should also report on the good things the Clinton Foundation has done. Now that Bill Clinton has reminded them, perhaps they will.
Keith Brekhus is a progressive American who currently resides in Red Lodge, Montana. He is co-host for the Liberal Fix radio show. He holds a Master’s Degree in Sociology from the University of Missouri. In 2002, he ran for Congress as a Green Party candidate in the state of Missouri. In 2014, he worked as a field organizer for Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick’s successful re-election bid in Arizona’s 1st Congressional District. He can be followed on Twitter @keithbrekhus or on Facebook.
