Hillary Clinton’s campaign pushed back Thursday on a report that former President Bill Clinton and his aides used taxpayer money to purchase computer equipment and supplement salaries at their family’s foundation.
Brian Fallon, a spokesman for the Democratic nominee, called the headline on a Politico review of documents it obtained through the Freedom of Information Act “egregiously false.”
This headline is egregiously false. Server hosting HRC’s email during State tenure was paid for w/personal fundshttps://t.co/FblUHKlOhQ
— Brian Fallon (@brianefallon) September 1, 2016
According to Politico, Bill Clinton’s aides have drawn $16 million from a fund meant to provide basic income for ex-presidents and their staff. Bill Clinton himself drew more from the fund than any other living former president despite earning a comfortable living delivering speeches for as much as $500,000 each.
That money, and the government benefits that accompanied it, allowed the Clinton Foundation to shell out less for some of its employees. Thirteen of the 22 staffers who earned money from the government fund, paid through the General Services Administration, also held jobs at the foundation.
Bill Clinton used some of the funds to purchase computer servers that were put to use partly for the charity, the document review found.
Fallon accused Politico of misrepresenting the former president’s use of taxpayer funds and indicated the campaign would demand a correction from the outlet.
He compared it to a recent Associated Press story that discovered Hillary Clinton had reserved the majority of her nongovernmental meetings for Clinton Foundation donors.