The Clinton Foundation received $50,000 from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association the same year President Bill Clinton made a brief cameo at the Golden Globes.
Tax returns for the HFPA, which sponsors the awards ceremony, show that the group gave $50,000 to the foundation between July 2012 and June 2013. In January 2013, Clinton appeared at the awards ceremony to introduce Steven Spielberg’s film, Lincoln, which was nominated for best picture.
"A tough fight to push a bill through a bitterly divided House of Representatives. Winning it required the president to make a lot of unsavory deals that had nothing to do with the big issue. I wouldn't know anything about that," Clinton said.
"Many [were] absolutely stunned to see him on-stage," according to the Hollywood Reporter. Clinton exited after praising the "brilliant film" and enduring an Amy Poehler zinger—"what an exciting special guest: That was Hillary Clinton's husband."
The former president commanded up to $500,000 per hour for his speaking fees at the time. At that rate, his 65-second introduction would have cost producers almost $9,000—a relative bargain compared to the $50,000 the HFPA gave the foundation that year.
A Clinton Foundation spokesman said there was "no connection" between the donation and Clinton's cameo. "The donation for our Haiti work came well after," spokesman Craig Minassian said. He did not respond to follow up requests about the exact date of the contribution.
Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign did not return requests for comment.
HFPA tax filings show that the donation came from "an event honoring Ren Sunshine [sic]." Public relations mogul Ken Sunshine’s firm, Sunshine Sachs, handles press relations for the HFPA. Sunshine owes his career to Bill Clinton, who was his first client.
"I represent a lot of funds, causes, and troublemakers," he told the City Herald in 2011.
His work with the Clintons and the HFPA keeps him busy in that regard. He handled PR in 2009 when Clinton was accused of taking $500,000 from a Japanese firm for a speech that he never delivered. His firm also handled PR for the Golden Globes when a former consultant accused the HFPA of perpetuating massive corruption and bribery in doling out honors.
Emails to a Sunshine Sachs spokesman regarding the Clinton donation went unreturned.
Sunshine is also a major Democratic donor, contributing $5,000 to the Ready for Hillary PAC, as well as $10,000 to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, in 2014, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
Clinton has strong ties to the Hollywood scene. He spent the weekend before the 2015 Golden Globes with Casey Wasserman, grandson of Hollywood tycoon Lew Wasserman and a sports agent, according to Showbiz411.
The Wasserman Foundation is one of the Clinton Foundation’s largest contributors, donating between $5 million and $10 million, according to the Clinton’s public disclosures. The Wasserman Foundation website features three photos of Clinton.
The Clintons are facing public scrutiny over their handling of foreign and corporate donations while Hillary Clinton served as secretary of state. The foundation has denied allegations that donors bought access to the Clinton family. It announced in April that it will limit foreign contributions as well as re-file several years of tax returns to correct accounting errors.