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Clinton Foundation Donor Conducted Review of Clinton Foundation Tax Returns

DLA Piper is also a top contributor to Hillary Clinton’s campaign

AP
November 17, 2015

A review of the Clinton Foundation’s tax returns was conducted by a tax lawyer at DLA Piper, a law firm that has already contributed $171,200 to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign and is a Clinton Foundation donor.

Multiple years of revised tax returns were filed to the IRS on Monday to correct previous errors. The foundation decided to hire a third party to conduct a review of the tax returns after reports revealed the foundation failed to report government grants received from 2010 to 2012.

The third party hired was not free of Clinton ties.

Kathy Keneally, a top tax litigation lawyer for DLA Piper, conducted the review of Clinton Foundation tax documents. DLA Piper has given between $50,001 and $100,000 to the Clinton Foundation.

Employees of the firm have also contributed $171,200 to Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, making it the fifth largest contributor thus far, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

Additionally, DLA Piper contributed $496,700 to Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign, making it the second biggest contributor. Over the course of Clinton’s two Senate campaigns she received $700,530 from DLA Piper, putting the firm third behind only Goldman Sachs and Citigroup in total contributions to Clinton.

The Clinton campaign has also disclosed that two registered lobbyists at DLA Piper are currently serving as bundlers for her campaign.

The Clinton Foundation did not return a request for comment on the decision to hire DLA Piper for the review. The Clinton campaign also did not respond to a request for comment.

Keneally joined DLA Piper after working for two years in President Barack Obama’s Department of Justice as the assistant attorney general for the tax division.

Keneally said that although mistakes were made on past tax returns, the Clinton Foundation did not deliberately attempt to "conceal" anything.

"The Foundation voluntarily undertook a thorough review of the returns for those years in which the line on the return concerning government grants was left blank," said Keneally. "Foremost, we found nothing to suggest that the Foundation intended to conceal the receipt of government grants, which the Foundation reports on its website."

She praised the foundation for its decision to file amended returns.

"The Foundation’s decision to file amended returns reflects an extraordinary commitment to disclosure and thoroughness," said Keneally.