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Hillary Clinton Likely Won't Be Returning to the Clinton Foundation

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April 5, 2017

Failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton likely won't be returning to the Clinton Foundation. Clinton received negative headlines during her 2016 campaign that speculated whether the foundation would pose a conflict of interest.

The former Democratic presidential nominee and secretary of state informed confidants that she more than likely won't be returning to the family's foundation, the Hill reported on Wednesday.

Since her loss last November, Clinton has kept a low-profile and has been reflecting on what she wants to do next.

"She’s taking a look at her life and wants to try some different things," one close Clinton ally said. "She’s not tying herself to something that’s always been an option. She wants to figure out what she wants to do."

Clinton was actively involved at the Clinton Foundation, working on early childhood development and other initiatives involving women and children in 2013 following her tenure at the State Department, according to the Hill.

"I am thrilled to fully join this remarkable organization that [former President] Bill [Clinton] started a dozen years ago, and to call it my home for the work I will be doing," Clinton remarked at the Clinton Global Initiative in 2013.

Hillary Clinton left the organization before launching her bid for the White House.

The former secretary of State hasn’t formally told aides at the New York-based foundation about her plans.

Asked about Clinton’s next steps, the Clinton Foundation referred calls to her office, as they have done since she left the foundation two years ago. A spokesman for the former secretary of State could not be reached on Tuesday.

Still, those familiar with Clinton’s immediate future say that just because she won’t take an active role in the organization doesn’t mean she won’t give occasional foundation-related speeches or participate in its programs.

"Everyone knows they’ll have access to her whenever they need her," the confidant said. "This has really become President Clinton and Chelsea’s thing."

Clinton's hesitancy about rejoining the foundation may come from the controversy and negative headlines that dogged her during the presidential campaign. The headlines revolved around alleged conflicts of interest between Clinton and the foundation. Although Bill Clinton spent months defending the the organization he built post-presidency, he was not able to shake off the headlines that declared the foundation wasn't being transparent.

Wikileaks released emails during the last couple months of the campaign that showed Clinton's campaign advisers worrying about conflicts of interest, including one Clinton Global Initiative event in Morocco, The Hill reported. The Moroccan king pledged to give $12 million to the foundation if Hillary Clinton would attend the event, but she did not.

"Do they plan to do big events next year?" Clinton's campaign manager Robby Mook wrote in a 2015 email to campaign chairman John Podesta. "Possible for those to be smaller and lower key in ’16?"