Dozens of employees at the Clinton Global Initiative were given notice that their jobs would be eliminated by the end of the year. The move was a clear acknowledgement of the conflicts of interest that the Clinton Foundation would pose for a President Hillary Clinton and her first husband.
However, as Politico reports, the Clinton Foundation will keep some CGI staff to work with big donors, including those in the government and the private sector. While it is expected that not all of the CGI’s multi-year initiatives would be concluded by the end of the year, the retention of some staff raised concerns that any winding-down of the foundation could prove to be a messy, drawn-out affair.
Bill Clinton’s open letter last month laid out some of the commitments he and the foundation would make if Hillary Clinton were to be elected president, including no longer accepting any donations from foreign donors and Bill Clinton withdrawing from the foundation’s board of directors. But for those who say the Clintons can’t run the country and maintain the foundation at the same time without producing a tangle of ethical concerns, this won’t be enough. If Clinton wins the presidency, the foundation’s existence is going to be a huge thorn in her side. While it has initiated some significant programs over the years, perhaps it is time for the Clintons to seriously assess whether their charity is worth tainting a presidency.