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State Department Defends Clinton Appointing Foundation Donors: We Look for 'Diverse Backgrounds'

September 21, 2016

State Department spokesman John Kirby defended former secretary of state Hillary Clinton's appointment of donors to the Clinton Foundation to advisory boards within the State Department on Wednesday.

Kirby said on Fox News that he was aware of the story in question but was unaware of the list of people. The Washington Examiner reported the department gave appointments to 194 donors to the foundation during Clinton's tenure.

"I won't speak for the decisions they made when Secretary Clinton was secretary of state," Kirby said. "What I can tell you is these advisory boards are important, they do help us do a better job at the State Department, and we look for people to be members of the boards that have diverse backgrounds."

Fox and Friends host Steve Doocy mentioned Kaki Hockersmith, an interior designer from Little Rock, Arkansas who has ties to the Clintons all the way back to when Bill Clinton was governor, and how she was appointed to the board of UNESCO.

Hockersmith once redecorated the Lincoln Sitting Room and the Treaty Room of the White House for $396,429 in 1993. More recently, Hockersmith raised $100,00 for Clinton's failed 2008 presidential campaign.

Kirby said that he understood the optics but could not speak to the decisions that she made during her tenure at the State Department.

"We do look for a diverse background. We do look for experience levels. We do look for people that are qualified to give us advice and counsel," Kirby said. "That's what the boards are all about."