The New York Times left-leaning editorial board called on Hillary Clinton Tuesday to immediately end her work with her family’s Clinton Foundation, and called it an “ethical imperative.”
Emails released last week from her tenure as secretary of state seemed to suggest that big donors to the foundation, including from foreign governments, used their donations as a way to leverage access to the Clintons.
Clinton’s campaign has said it will stop accepting donations from some foreign governments and that should she win the election, her husband Bill will only maintain a limited role with the foundation.
But the Times said Tuesday the Clintons should go further to ensure there are no conflicts of interest.
“A wiser course would be to ban contributions from foreign and corporate entities now,” said the Times. “If Mrs. Clinton wins, Bill and [daughter] Chelsea Clinton should both end their operational involvement in the foundation and its affiliates for the duration of her presidency, relinquishing any control over spending, hiring and board appointments. … It would also send a signal that Mrs. Clinton and her family have heard the concerns of critics and supporters and will end any further possibility for the foundation to become a conduit to the White House for powerful influence seekers.”
Republican nominee Donald Trump has said the emails prove there was a “pay-to-play” scheme going on between the foundation and Clinton’s State Department. The Times said there was “reason” to believe that as a possibility, even if there is yet to be proof.
“Achieving true distance from the foundation is not only necessary to ensure its effectiveness,” said the Times, “it is an ethical imperative for Mrs. Clinton.”
