Donations to the Clinton Foundation dropped drastically following Hillary Clinton’s defeat in the 2016 presidential election, fueling critics who claim she used the organization as a means to monetize her political power.
Contributions to the foundation, once the former Secretary of State’s political power had been expunged by Donald Trump’s victory, dropped from $62.9 million in 2016 to $26.6 million the following year.
That represents a significant 57.7 percent drop.
The revelation, a result of new tax documents being released, comes amidst an ongoing Justice Department probe into the Clinton Foundation and any possible improper activity with the charity.
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Clinton Foundation donations fall after Hillary’s loss
FBN’s @KennedyNation on the drop in Clinton Foundation donations. https://t.co/mBZjcmtTvk— Fox News Fan (@FNC_Ladies_Rule) November 27, 2018
Critics seize on the news to make allegations of pay-to-play
Though the allegations have been a longstanding charge of Republicans, critics of the Clinton Foundation have seized on this news as glaring evidence of how the charitable organization was used for political purposes.
House Freedom Caucus Chairman Rep. Mark Meadows said the “remarkable” plunge in donations “raises grave concerns their (Clinton Foundation) operations were not above board.”
“Whenever we look at the possibility of ‘pay to play’ by government officials, current or former, it demands answers–and anyone who uses public office to sell access for their own financial benefit must be held accountable,” he added.
The group also has another high-profile critic – Hillary’s nemesis and the main reason she can’t continue to monetize her political reach through the foundation: President Trump.
Clinton Foundation donations drop 42% – which shows that they illegally played the power game. They monetized their political influence through the Foundation. “During her tenure the State Department was put in the service of the Clinton Foundation.” Andrew McCarthy
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 25, 2018
Clinton Foundation hearing scheduled for December
In January of 2018, the Justice Department, in one of former Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ few accomplishments, announced they were investigating the Clinton Foundation and whether or not it was engaged in pay-to-play schemes or other illegal activities during her time at the State Department.
House Republicans, with their midterm defeat leading to an upcoming loss of power, have scheduled a hearing for December 5th to discuss any developments with the department’s probe.
The new acting attorney general, Matthew Whitaker, has long been critical of possible ethical conflicts surrounding the Clinton Foundation.
Some of the seedy allegations against the Foundation include a $12 million donation from the King of Morocco in exchange for a meeting, a $1 million ‘gift’ from Qatar, and special consideration for “Friends of Bill” after a devastating earthquake in Haiti.
On the campaign trail, then-candidate Trump reminded voters that Clinton’s entire purpose for using a private email server may have been to cover up the pay-to-play scheme.
“She put her emails on a secret server to cover up her pay for play scandals in the State Department,” Trump insisted. “Nothing threatens the integrity of our democracy more than when government officials put their public office up for sale.”
Now the question is – will the Justice Department concur?