Hillary Clinton and Sen. Tim Kaine are slated to attend a string of fundraisers in Texas and California this month with corporate executives, celebrities and donors to the Clinton Foundation.
The events will pad the more than $44 million Clinton’s campaign already has on hand as she continues to outpace Donald Trump’s financial operation.
The Democratic ticket has built its message around economic equality and fairness, touting its small-dollar donations and friendliness to the middle class.
Clinton even attacked Trump this week for his reliance on “hedge fund guys” and “billionaire guys” to craft his economic plan, which she characterized as beneficial only to “those at the top” of the system.
Thank you to the more than 2 million people who have donated to this campaign. Chip in now to join them: https://t.co/r3sF3mwlFX
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) August 9, 2016
But Clinton’s own campaign enjoys robust support from the upper echelon of the economy, often pulling contributions from the same network of deep-pocketed donors that have grown the Clinton Foundation into a multi-billion dollar operation.
For example, two of Kaine’s three Texas events on Tuesday and Wednesday will be hosted by foundation donors.
Todd Bradley, the host of Kaine’s fundraiser in Austin on Tuesday, has been a supporter of the Clinton Global Initiative since his days as a Hewlett Packard executive. Franklin McLarty, who will host a reception with Kaine on Wednesday in Dallas, has also written the foundation a check, according to donor records.
At McLarty’s event, supporters must pay $5,000 just to take a picture with Kaine.
Clinton will attend a fundraiser in Beverly Hills on Aug. 22 at the home of Haim and Cheryl Saban, who have given up to $25 million to the Clinton Foundation. Bob Iger, the CEO of Disney, and Jeffrey Katzenberg, the CEO of DreamWorks Animation, will also attend the event.
The following day, Clinton is set to attend another Los Angeles fundraiser, this one to be hosted by Clinton Foundation donor Leonardo DiCaprio and set to feature celebrities like Jennifer Aniston and Tobey Maguire.
While Clinton has defended the political objectivity of the Clinton Foundation, the overlap between its donors and those who have given to her presidential campaign raises questions about whether the charity’s work is truly separate from the Clintons’ political ambitions.
Seven of the top 10 donors to Clinton’s campaign are also donors to the Clinton Foundation, and many more among her most generous contributors have written checks to both operations.
Clinton has raked in cash from industries she publicly counts as enemies. Most of her donations come from the securities and investment industry, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, despite her tough talk on Wall Street.
In May, for example, Clinton attended a fundraiser hosted by hedge fund manager Orin Kramer where guests were charged $100,000 to attend.
