TRUMP’S “FACTS”

REALITY

There is No Evidence Whatsoever That Donations to the Clinton Foundation Affected Any Decisions Made by Hillary Clinton at the State Department

State Department spokeswoman: “The State Department is not aware of any actions that were influenced by the Clinton Foundation.” “MS TRUDEAU: The State Department is not aware of any actions that were influenced by the Clinton Foundation. QUESTION: Any action at all over the course of Secretary Clinton’s tenure? MS TRUDEAU: Correct.” [State Department Daily Press Briefing, 8/11/16]

The State Dept. said it had no evidence that donations to The Clinton Foundation or Bill Clinton’s speaking fees affected Hillary Clinton’s actions at the State Department. “The State Department said Monday it has no evidence that any actions taken by Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton when she was secretary of state were influenced by donations to the Clinton Foundation or former President Bill Clinton’s speaking fees. Spokesman Jeff Rathke said the department received requests to review potential conflicts primarily for proposed speech hosts or consulting deals for Bill Clinton and found no conflicts.” [Associated Press, 5/4/15]

Clinton Foundation Uses Its Funds to Improve Lives and Create a Better World for Millions

The Clinton Foundation holds an A rating from the American Institute of Philanthropy and made their “Top Rated” list.“Groups included on the CharityWatch Top-Rated list generally spend 75% or more of their budgets on programs [The Clinton Foundation is at 88%], spend $25 or less to raise $100 in public support [the Foundation spends $2 for every $100 raised], do not hold excessive assets in reserve, have met CharityWatch’s governance benchmarks, and receive “open-book” status for disclosure of basic financial information and documents to CharityWatch.” [charitywatch.org, April 2016]

The Alliance for a Healthier Generation’s Healthy Schools Program supports more than 18 million students by improving physical education, health education, child nutrition, and staff wellness policies and programs. “The Healthy Schools Program supports more than 18 million students by improving physical education, health education, child nutrition, and staff wellness policies and programs in more than 31,000 schools. The Healthy Schools Program receives the majority of its funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to support schools in states with the highest rates of obesity.” [Clinton Foundation, accessed8/22/16]

The Clinton Health Access Initiative has allowed over 11.5 million patients to get treatment for HIV/AIDS. “From 2002 to 2010, as an initiative of the Clinton Foundation, 4 million patients were able to access CHAI-negotiated ARV drugs and as of today, CHAI’s work, as a separate 501(c)(3), has over 11.5 million patients accessing treatment.” [Clinton Foundation, accessed 8/22/16]

The Clinton Global Initiative has secured nearly 3,200 commitments that have improved the lives of over 430 million people. “To date, members of the CGI community have made nearly 3,200 commitments which have improved the lives of over 430 million people in more than 180 countries.” [Clinton Global Initiative, accessed 8/22/16]

Contributors to the Clinton Foundation are Only Public because of the Foundation’s Voluntary Disclosure of its Donor List and Unprecedented Transparency

NBC News: “The Clinton Foundation agreed to voluntarily disclose names and donation ranges of its contributors.” “In late 2008, after Obama nominated Clinton to be secretary of state, the Clinton Foundation agreed to voluntarily disclose names and donation ranges of its contributors.” [NBC News, 4/25/13]

Foundation Continued Unrequired Practice after Hillary Clinton left the State Department

McClatchy: “The foundation is not required to publicly release its donors.” “The foundation is not required to publicly release its donors. A foundation spokesman said that the organization continued to release donor information after Clinton left the State Department to be transparent.” [McClatchy, 2/18/15]

Foundation Voluntarily Pledged to Refuse Foreign or Corporate Donations during a Clinton Presidency in Further Effort to Avoid Appearance of Conflicts

Bill Clinton said the Foundation would only accept contributions from U.S. citizens and independent charities if Hillary Clinton wins the White House. “Bill Clinton said if Hillary Clinton wins the White House, the family’s foundation would only accept contributions from U.S. citizens and independent charities. He added the foundation will continue its work, but plans to refocus its efforts in a process that will take up to a year to complete.” [AP, 8/18/16]

Donald Trump’s Own Charitable Foundation May have Violated Laws Separating Exempt Nonprofits from Political Activity

Donald Trump’s “campaign work and his foundation work have overlapped—putting himself at risk for penalties and his charity at risk of being shut down.” “On numerous occasions this year, Trump’s campaign work and his foundation work have overlapped—putting himself at risk for penalties and his charity at risk of being shut down…In key early primary states this year, Trump handed out Foundation checks to charities at campaign rallies. This also calls into question ‘whether the foundation provided the campaign with an illegal in-kind contribution by providing services for what was a campaign event. Under the campaign finance laws… providing anything of value to a campaign for free or at less than fair market value is a contribution to the campaign,’ said Larry Noble, the general counsel at the Campaign Legal Center.” [Daily Beast, 6/16/16]

In 2013, the Trump Foundation donated $25,000 to a political organization supporting Florida AG Pam Bondi at the same time Bondi was reviewing complaints surrounding Trump University, raising concerns for legal experts. “And in 2013, the Trump Foundation donated $25,000 to a political organization supporting Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi—an action the foundation is prohibited from taking, and which it failed to report on its disclosures. The Trump campaign blamed this failure on clerical mistakes, but legal experts are sounding the alarm because at the time Bondi was reviewing complaints surrounding the businessman’s controversial Trump University project.” [Daily Beast, 6/16/16]

In a number of instances, the Trump campaign contacted charitable organizations to arrange for them to be presented with a Trump Foundation check at Trump campaign rallies.“On Jan. 30, with Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. by his side at a campaign rally in Davenport, Iowa, Trump presented a $100,000 Trump Foundation check to Puppy Jake, a charity which supports veterans by providing service dogs. Puppy Jake’s executive director, Becky Beach, told The Daily Beast that the Trump campaign had been in touch with her about the Trump Foundation’s contribution…The next day, the day before the Iowa caucuses, the founder of Support Siouxland Soldiers, another vets charity, appeared on stage with Trump at a Sioux City campaign rally to accept a $100,000 Trump Foundation check. Support Siouxland Soldiers executive director Sarah Petersen told The Daily Beast that she had been in touch with a Trump staffer named Hope, and provided the phone number they used in order to discuss the donation. The phone number matches up with the campaign’s listed number for Hope Hicks, the Trump campaign’s spokeswoman.” [Daily Beast, 6/16/16]

There is No Evidence Whatsoever That Donations to the Clinton Foundation Affected Any Decisions Made by Hillary Clinton at the State Department

State Department spokeswoman: “The State Department is not aware of any actions that were influenced by the Clinton Foundation.” “MS TRUDEAU: The State Department is not aware of any actions that were influenced by the Clinton Foundation. QUESTION: Any action at all over the course of Secretary Clinton’s tenure? MS TRUDEAU: Correct.” [State Department Daily Press Briefing, 8/11/16]

The State Dept. said it had no evidence that donations to The Clinton Foundation or Bill Clinton’s speaking fees affected Hillary Clinton’s actions at the State Department. “The State Department said Monday it has no evidence that any actions taken by Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton when she was secretary of state were influenced by donations to the Clinton Foundation or former President Bill Clinton’s speaking fees. Spokesman Jeff Rathke said the department received requests to review potential conflicts primarily for proposed speech hosts or consulting deals for Bill Clinton and found no conflicts.” [Associated Press, 5/4/15]

Author of widely panned book accusing the Clinton Foundation of pay to play was forced to admit he had no evidence of any impropriety. “With the controversy around donations to her family’s charitable foundation growing, Democrats are bracing for more attacks on the former secretary of State — just the beginning of what they expect to be an 18-month assault on their party’s front-runner. […] Those attacks for now revolve around the upcoming book Clinton Cash by Peter Schweizer of the conservative Hoover Institution at Stanford University. Even Schweizer admits he has no smoking gun proving that either Hillary Clinton or former President Bill Clinton sought to further the interests of donors to the Clinton Foundation in improper ways.” [The Hill, 4/28/15]

Foundation Voluntarily Pledged to Refuse Foreign or Corporate Donations during a Clinton Presidency in Further Effort to Avoid Appearance of Conflicts

Bill Clinton said the Foundation would only accept contributions from U.S. citizens and independent charities if Hillary Clinton wins the White House. “Bill Clinton said if Hillary Clinton wins the White House, the family’s foundation would only accept contributions from U.S. citizens and independent charities. He added the foundation will continue its work, but plans to refocus its efforts in a process that will take up to a year to complete.” [AP, 8/18/16]

Once Again, There is No Evidence Whatsoever That Donations to the Clinton Foundation Affected Any Decisions Made by Hillary Clinton at the State Department

FactCheck.org: Nearly all contributions to the Clinton Foundation are used for its charitable activities. “Fiorina and others are referring only to the amount donated by the Clinton Foundation to outside charities, ignoring the fact that most of the Clinton Foundation’s charitable work is performed in-house. One independent philanthropy watchdog did an analysis of Clinton Foundation funding and concluded that about 89 percent of its funding went to charity. Simply put, despite its name, the Clinton Foundation is not a private foundation — which typically acts as a pass-through for private donations to other charitable organizations. Rather, it is a public charity. It conducts most of its charitable activities directly.” [FactCheck.org, 6/19/15]

State Department spokeswoman: “The State Department is not aware of any actions that were influenced by the Clinton Foundation.” “MS TRUDEAU: The State Department is not aware of any actions that were influenced by the Clinton Foundation. QUESTION: Any action at all over the course of Secretary Clinton’s tenure? MS TRUDEAU: Correct.” [State Department Daily Press Briefing, 8/11/16]

FBI Officials Previously Looked into Allegations and Determined Claims Not Worthy of a Case, and Requests for an Investigation Politically-Motivated

FBI Officials had looked into allegations surrounding the Clinton Foundation following the release of “Clinton Cash” and determined claims were unsubstantiated and not worthy of a case. “FBI officials wanted to investigate whether there was a criminal conflict of interest with the State Department and the Clinton Foundation during Clinton’s tenure. The Department of Justice had looked into allegations surrounding the foundation a year earlier after the release of the controversial book ‘Clinton Cash,’ but found them to be unsubstantiated and there was insufficient evidence to open a case.” [CNN, 8/11/16]

Justice Department officials said the request “seemed more political than substantive.” “As a result, DOJ officials pushed back against opening a case during the meeting earlier this year. Some also expressed concern the request seemed more political than substantive, especially given the timing of it coinciding with the investigation into the private email server and Clinton’s presidential campaign.” [CNN, 8/11/16]

Legal and Ethics Experts Sought Investigation of Overlaps Between the Trump Foundation and Donald Trump’s Campaign

Sunlight Foundation’s Richard Skinner on the Trump Foundation and Trump campaign conflicts: “‘This should be investigated…There is definitely [use of] a charitable foundation in an inappropriate way.’” “Both the contribution to Bondi and the overlap between the Trump campaign and his charity should be publicly examined, government watchdogs said. ‘This should be investigated. There are troubling legal issues posed in both circumstances,’ said Richard Skinner, a money-in-politics policy analyst at the Sunlight Foundation. ‘There is definitely [use of] a charitable foundation in an inappropriate way.’” [Daily Beast,6/16/16]

In 2013, the Trump Foundation donated $25,000 to a political organization supporting Florida AG Pam Bondi at the same time Bondi was reviewing complaints surrounding Trump University, raising concerns for legal experts. “And in 2013, the Trump Foundation donated $25,000 to a political organization supporting Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi—an action the foundation is prohibited from taking, and which it failed to report on its disclosures. The Trump campaign blamed this failure on clerical mistakes, but legal experts are sounding the alarm because at the time Bondi was reviewing complaints surrounding the businessman’s controversial Trump University project.” [Daily Beast, 6/16/16]

Mills Spent a Day Volunteering Her Time to the Clinton Foundation to Help Review Candidates for a Top Position and the work was Completely Separate from her Role at State

Mills was performing as a volunteer for the Clinton Foundation to help review candidates, was not paid, and used no government funds for the trip. “According to Mills’ attorney, her work for the Clinton Foundation while she was employed at the State Department was strictly voluntary. She received no pay and no government funds were used to finance the short trip. Clinton’s presidential campaign re-iterated that Mills was working as a volunteer on the trip.” [CNN, 8/11/16]

Mills paid for her trip to help the Foundation and made “crystal clear to all involved that this had nothing to do with her official duties.” “‘Cheryl volunteered her personal time to a charitable organization, as she has to other charities,’ said campaign spokesman Brian Fallon. ‘Cheryl paid for her travel to New York City personally, and it was crystal clear to all involved that this had nothing to do with her official duties. The idea that this poses a conflict of interest is absurd.’” [CNN, 8/11/16]

Blumenthal Occasionally Sent Unsolicited Emails to Hillary Clinton

Hillary Clinton made clear to committee members that Blumenthal was not “‘an advisor’ on matters pertaining to Libya.” “Clinton also spoke in more detail about her relationship with Blumenthal. She told committee members that she would not characterize him as an ‘adviser’ on matters pertaining to Libya. Clinton said she did not know who provided Blumenthal with the intelligence Blumenthal frequently sent in emails and memos. Clinton sometimes forwarded that information to staffers at the State Department.” [BuzzFeed, 10/23/15]

During his deposition Blumenthal swore “under oath that Clinton never asked him to send the correspondence.” ‘‘It is clear from these emails Secretary Clinton encouraged Mr. Blumenthal to send them in some instances calling into question her previous characterization of them as ‘unsolicited,’ Gowdy said in a statement. Blumenthal during a closed-door deposition last week said under oath that Clinton never asked him to send the correspondence. Democrats say Gowdy’s definition of unsolicited is off base because Blumenthal was sending his memo on his own accord.’ [Politico, 6/22/15]

Sec. Clinton explained Blumenthal sent her “unsolicited emails, which I passed on in some instances.” “The newly minted presidential candidate also told reporters that she won’t distance herself from allies if she’s elected president, even as some of those allies pose political problems. ‘I’m going to keep talking to my old friends, whoever they are,’ Clinton said. The comment came after a question about Clinton’s relationship with Sidney Blumenthal, a long-time ally who was the subject of a New York Times report documenting the emails the two had exchanged about Libya while Clinton was secretary of state and Blumenthal worked for clients with business interests in the country. ‘He’s been a friend of mine for a long time. He sent me unsolicited emails, which I passed on in some instances, and that’s just part of the give-and-take,’ she said. ‘When you’re in the public eye, when you’re in an official position, I think you do have to work to make sure you’re not caught in a bubble and you only hear from a certain small group of people.’” [CNN, 5/19/15]

Unlike the Clintons, Charitable Funds Promised by Donald Trump Were Rarely Delivered

NBC News Headline: “Trump Foundation Has Given Little To Vets Groups” [NBC News, 1/28/16]

Washington Post: Trump had a habit of promising to give to charity, but rarely following through. “In recent weeks, The Post tried to answer the question by digging up records going back to the late 1980s and canvassing a wide swath of nonprofits with some connection to Trump.  That research showed that Trump has a long-standing habit of promising to give to charity. But Trump’s follow-through on those promises was middling — even at the beginning, in his early days as a national celebrity.” [Washington Post, 6/28/16]

Trump indicated to Howard Stern that he donated his millions in proceeds from “The Apprentice” to charity, but records did not reflect donations of millions of dollars. “By the early 2000s, Trump had recovered from his financial troubles, returning to the public eye as a different kind of mogul. More than ever, Trump himself was the product: He was selling his name on products from TV shows to steaks to high-rise condominiums around the country.  Again, Trump needed an explanation for why he needed the money.  ‘You’re getting paid over a million for your show,’ radio host Howard Stern said to Trump in 2004, when Trump was first hosting ‘The Apprentice.’  ‘Oh, a lot more than that,’ Trump said.  ‘You’re getting paid over two-and-a-half-million dollars!’ Stern said.  ‘Yeah, I don’t do it for that,’ Trump said. ‘I’m giving the money to charity.’ He named AIDS research and the Police Athletic League. That year, Trump’s foundation appears to have given $1,000 to AIDS research and $106,000 to the Police Athletic League.” [Washington Post, 6/28/16]

Trump promoted Trump Vodka by promising to donate the proceeds to charity, however only “a few hundred dollars” have been donated in connection with the venture. “Promoting Trump Vodka in 2006, Trump told Larry King, ‘I’m giving the money to charity.’ But the only apparent donation related to Trump Vodka is a ‘few hundred dollars’ given to a group supporting Walter Reed Hospital in connection with a specific promotion, as reported by CNN last month.” [Politico, 6/20/16]

Donald Trump’s campaign released a list of his claimed charitable donations, but not one of them was actually a personal gift of his own money. “Since the first day of his presidential campaign, Donald Trump has said that he gave more than $102 million to charity in the past five years. To back up that claim, Trump’s campaign compiled a list of his contributions — 4,844 of them, filling 93 pages. But, in that massive list, one thing was missing. Not a single one of those donations was actually a personal gift of Trump’s own money. Instead, according to a Washington Post analysis, many of the gifts that Trump cited to prove his generosity were free rounds of golf, given away by his courses for charity auctions and raffles.” [Washington Post, 4/10/16]

Speeches Dated back to 2002 and Earned Funds for the Foundation’s work

Bill, Hillary, and Chelsea Clinton gave speeches dating back to 2002 that earned funding for the Clinton Foundation’s initiatives. “The Clinton Foundation on Thursday released a list of nearly 100 paid speeches given by Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton for which the foundation accepted the fees, shedding light on talks that brought in as much as $26 million for the family philanthropy. The Clinton Foundation has been under scrutiny as Mrs. Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign has ramped up. Critics have warned that donations from foreign sources could be attempts to curry favor with a former secretary of state and possible future president. While donors to the foundation have been disclosed previously, the data released Thursday, which goes back to 2002, marks the first time a comprehensive list of speech fees has been released.” [Wall Street Journal, 5/21/15]

All of Secretary Clinton’s speaking fees from appearances at colleges and universities are donated to the Clinton Foundation. “Facing criticism from some quarters about her expensive speeches, Hillary Clinton said Friday that every dollar she’s earned speaking at universities since stepping down as secretary of state last year has gone into the philanthropic work of her family’s foundation. ‘All of the fees have been donated to the Clinton Foundation for it to continue its life-changing and life-saving work,’ she told ABC News. ‘So it goes from a foundation at a university to another foundation.’” [CBS News, 7/4/14]

Information Made Public Due to Unprecedented Transparency of Clinton Foundation

Information about funding for the Foundation earned through speeches was made public due to the Foundation’s unprecedented transparency for a charitable organization. “The foundation touts the disclosure as an example of its commitment to transparency. ‘In addition to the more than 300,000 donors who are all listed on our website, posting these speeches is just another example of how our disclosure policies go above and beyond what’s required of charities,’ said Foundation spokesperson Craig Minassian. Charities are not required by law to disclose donors, but the Clinton Foundation has done so since 2008, when Hillary mounted her first presidential run. ‘This funding allows the Foundation to effectively and efficiently use our resources to implement programs that are fighting HIV/AIDS and childhood obesity, increasing opportunity for women and girls, lifting people out of poverty and combating climate change,’ Minassian added.” [MSNBC, 5/21/15]

Clinton Foundation Uses Its Funds to Improve Lives and Create a Better World for Millions

The Clinton Foundation holds an A rating from the American Institute of Philanthropy and made their “Top Rated” list.“Groups included on the CharityWatch Top-Rated list generally spend 75% or more of their budgets on programs [The Clinton Foundation is at 88%], spend $25 or less to raise $100 in public support [the Foundation spends $2 for every $100 raised], do not hold excessive assets in reserve, have met CharityWatch’s governance benchmarks, and receive “open-book” status for disclosure of basic financial information and documents to CharityWatch.” [charitywatch.org, April 2016]

The Alliance for a Healthier Generation’s Healthy Schools Program supports more than 18 million students by improving physical education, health education, child nutrition, and staff wellness policies and programs. “The Healthy Schools Program supports more than 18 million students by improving physical education, health education, child nutrition, and staff wellness policies and programs in more than 31,000 schools. The Healthy Schools Program receives the majority of its funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to support schools in states with the highest rates of obesity.” [Clinton Foundation, accessed8/22/16]

The Clinton Health Access Initiative has allowed over 11.5 million patients to get treatment for HIV/AIDS. “From 2002 to 2010, as an initiative of the Clinton Foundation, 4 million patients were able to access CHAI-negotiated ARV drugs and as of today, CHAI’s work, as a separate 501(c)(3), has over 11.5 million patients accessing treatment.” [Clinton Foundation, accessed 8/22/16]

The Clinton Global Initiative has secured nearly 3,200 commitments that have improved the lives of over 430 million people. “To date, members of the CGI community have made nearly 3,200 commitments which have improved the lives of over 430 million people in more than 180 countries.” [Clinton Global Initiative, accessed 8/22/16]

Donald Trump Used Trump Foundation Money to Bid on a $120,000 Luxury Trip

BuzzFeed Headline: “Trump Bought $120,000 Luxury Trip With Trump Foundation Money At 2008 Charity Auction”[BuzzFeed, 7/8/16]