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McCaskill: No Favors Done for Clinton Foundation Donors, Yet Admits Appointing Major Donor to State Intel Board Was Bad Idea

August 14, 2016

Even fervent Hillary Clinton ally Sen. Claire McCaskill (D., Mo.) couldn't defend the decision to appoint a major Clinton Foundation donor to a sensitive intelligence advisory board for which he had no qualifications during an appearance on Fox News Sunday.

After McCaskill claimed there were no pay-for-play favors done by Clinton's State Department for Foundation donors, host Chris Wallace brought up the appointment of securities trader Rajiv Fernando, a seven-figure donor to the Clinton Foundation, to the International Security Advisory Board, a decision that had many staffers inside the State Department baffled.

He resigned in August 2011 after ABC News reporters asked questions about what business he had being on the board.

"I'm not sure that was a good idea," McCaskill said. "On the other hand, I think everyone glosses over the fact that this Foundation was doing charitable work around the world."

McCaskill said there was no money going into the Clinton's family pockets and pivoted to talking about its fight against diseases around the world.

"Senator, you certainly can't argue that justifies putting a big donor on an official advisory board who had no experience in that area, and that fact that he was on the board was revealed, he quit within 24 hours," Wallace said.

"I don't know why he quit," she said. "I don't know why he was appointed. I do know this. No one has been investigated more than Hillary Clinton in the history of presidential politics."