Donating large sums of money to the Bill, Hillary, & Chelsea Clinton Foundation is one of the many fun ways a corporation, billionaire, or foreign government can curry favor with the Clinton dynasty.
While the media was busy obsessively hyperventilating over Rudy Giulian’s comments about President Obama’s lack of love for America, the Wall Street Journal reported that, during her time as Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton helped promote the interest of large U.S. corporations, many of which have donated larges sums of money to the Clinton Foundation:
Among recent secretaries of state, Hillary Clinton was one of the most aggressive global cheerleaders for American companies, pushing governments to sign deals and change policies to the advantage of corporate giants such as General Electric Co. , Exxon Mobil Corp. , Microsoft Corp. and Boeing Co.
At the same time, those companies were among the many that gave to the Clinton family’s global foundation set up by her husband, former President Bill Clinton. At least 60 companies that lobbied the State Department during her tenure donated a total of more than $26 million to the Clinton Foundation, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of public and foundation disclosures.
As Mrs. Clinton prepares to embark on a race for the presidency, she has a web of connections to big corporations unique in American politics—ties forged both as secretary of state and by her family’s charitable interests. Those relationships are emerging as an issue for Mrs. Clinton’s expected presidential campaign as income disparity and other populist themes gain early attention.
Many of these corporations also contributed generously to Hillary Clinton’s first presidential run in 2008. For example:
- Microsoft ($202, 269)
- General Electric ($167,921)
- Boeing ($61,964)
- Exxon ($20,348)
Microsoft really stands out for its decision to purchase access to the Clintons through yet another channel by donating at least $100,000 to the Center for American Progress, an organization whose former chairman, John Podesta, is expected to play a leading role in Hillary's 2016 campaign.