Hardball host Chris Matthews said that ‘there’s always the Marc Rich question’ with the Clintons in an interview on Morning Joe Tuesday.
Marc Rich fled the United States after being indicted on 65 criminal counts that included tax evasion, wire fraud, and racketeering.
Then-President Bill Clinton granted a controversial presidential pardon of Rich, which came after Rich’s wife Denise made donations to Clinton’s political party, Hillary Clinton’s Senate campaign, and the Clinton library.
Host Joe Scarborough asked Matthews whether donations from foreign governments to the Clinton Foundation, in order to curry special favors during Clinton’s tenure as Secretary State, caused concerns.
"Well, there is a history of doing fine work for the country, but there is always the Marc Rich question—Why did he give that guy the pardon?" Matthews said. "This guy is a sleaze ball. Why did they do it?
"There is no reason to give him anything. He's a bad guy—so why did they do it? The question of how they used the White House to raise money in the '96 campaign. The whole Motel 6 thing. People basically paying to stay there."
Clinton was asked on Monday about the foreign governments’ donations to the Clinton Foundation. Clinton said the story was only a distraction.
"It's not a distraction when you look for something interesting to report on," Matthews said. "If she has no opponents, what will you talk about? You'll talk about questions about her appropriateness for this office."