An annual meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative, an arm of the Clintons’ sprawling philanthropic empire, will feature a very different set of sponsors than the same meeting last year.
Six corporate sponsors that hosted the New York City event in 2014 do not appear on the sponsor list for the upcoming 2015 event, suggesting the companies “backed out,” according to a USA Today column.
ExxonMobil and HSBC, a powerhouse bank, are among the firms that declined to participate in this year’s Clinton Global Initiative conference, which is set for Sept. 26-29.
The Clinton Foundation has come under considerable fire in recent months, with critics accusing the charity of acting as a vehicle for interested foreign entities to curry favor with Hillary Clinton while she served as secretary of state by donating to her family’s philanthropy.
ExxonMobil had also sponsored the event in 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010 and 2009, according to donor records.
HSBC was the target of a Clinton campaign attack in July, when the Democratic presidential candidate blasted the bank for “laundering” drug money. The financial firm did not renew its support of the Clinton Global Initiative event this year.
A spokesman for the charity said revenue increased slightly this year over 2014 and denied the Clinton Global Initiative was experiencing a drop in support.
But the foundation’s woes have multiplied since Clinton launched her campaign for the presidency.
Its donor rolls have faced intense scrutiny, and some foundation contributors, especially those in other countries, have become the subjects of media inspections.
For example, Frank Giustra, a major Clinton Foundation supporter and personal friend of Bill Clinton, was scrutinized for business deals that critics said were linked to his donations to the charity.
Hillary Clinton has defended the foundation’s work when asked about it on the campaign trail, but she pulled out of a scheduled appearance at a high-profile foundation meeting earlier this year amid controversy over foreign donations.
