Big Backers of Clinton Foundation found in leaked Swiss Bank files:

[Cal33]

According to the Guardian newspaper, which broke the story, on Tuesday:

Leaked files from HSBC’s Swiss banking division reveal the identities of seven donors to the Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation with accounts in Geneva.

They include Frank Giustra, a Canadian mining magnate and one of the foundation’s biggest financial backers, and Richard Caring, the British retail magnate who, the bank’s internal records show, used his tax-free Geneva account to transfer $1m into the New York-based foundation.

Hillary Clinton has expressed concern over growing economic inequality in the US and is expected to make the issue a cornerstone of her widely anticipated presidential campaign in 2016. However, political observers are increasingly asking whether the former secretary of state’s focus on wealth inequality sits uncomfortably with the close relationships she and her husband have nurtured with some of the world’s richest individuals

http://www.commondreams.org/news/2015/02/10/big-backers-clinton-foundation-found-leaked-swiss-bank-files-report

The above doesn't look good for Hillary, unless she has a good explanation for it.

[MannyGoldstein]

1. That's pretty surprising.

In fairness, though, I'm not sure that the Foundation would have knowledge of the route by which donations came.

[Cal33]

3. I can imagine Hillary feeling that some sort of explanation is due, if she intends to use

economic inequality as one of her campaign issues. In time we will have more
information, I suppose.

[DURHAM D]

2. Drivel

Where does commondream want the Foundation to raise funds? From the working class?

[Cal33]

4. Maybe fom the grass-roots, like Elizabeth?

[DURHAM D]

5. Does Elizabeth have a Foundation? nt

[Cal33]

9. Not that I know of, but while she was running for the Senate, she became the candidate

who had raised the largest amount in the history of Senate campaigning- and almost all
of it from grass-rooters.

[outside]

11. Maybe she should.

Warren, the Harvard bankruptcy law professor elected to the Senate in 2012, is worth between $3.7 million and $10 million.

That's not including the three-story Victorian home in Cambridge, Mass., that she owns with her husband and fellow Harvard law professor, Bruce Mann. It's now assessed at $1.9 million, according to city property records.
While she's not in the uppermost wealth echelon of Congress, she's not doing too badly either. Roll Call recently ranked her the 76th wealthiest out of 541 senators and representatives, based on her minimum net worth in 2013.

http://money.cnn.com/2015/01/08/news/economy/elizabeth-warren-wealth/

I never knew professor's pay was that good.

[OKNancy]

6. "grassroots" is for politics. The Foundation is not tied to her campaign

Do you know what they actually do? Some pretty wonderful good works all over the world.

[Cal33]

10. Yes. I am sure many of the super-rich are also philanthropists. Bill Gates, for example. If he

hadn't given away so much ($35 billion, I read not too long ago), he'd probably still be
the richest individual in the world.

[OKNancy]

7. Original Guardian article link

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/feb/10/hillary-clinton-foundation-donors-hsbc-swiss-bank

It is not unlawful for US or other non-Swiss citizens to hold accounts in Geneva and there is no evidence any of the Clinton donors with Geneva accounts evaded tax.

Under US charity law, the non-profit, which was founded by the former president in 2001 as the the William J Clinton Foundation, is not required to disclose the identity of its donors.

However, in late 2008, amid concern over potential conflicts of interest for Hillary Clinton, who was on course to become President Barack Obama’s secretary of state, the foundation launched a public database of its donors along with a rough estimate of the sums they have given.

It reveals seven foundation benefactors linked to HSBC bank accounts in Geneva, who have donated, in total, as much as $81m.

In a statement, the nonprofit, which was renamed the Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation in 2013, said its commitment to donor transparency goes significantly beyond what is required by US law.

“We are a philanthropy through and through, and we take pride in our programs, our efficiency, and our transparency, and we rely on donors to help fund our work, including support of enterprise partnerships in South America that are creating jobs; efforts to improve access to early childhood education in the US; and development programs for small-holder farmers in Africa,” said Craig Minassian, chief communications officer for the Clinton Foundation.

“The Clinton Foundation has strong donor integrity and transparency practices that go well beyond what is required of US charities, including the full disclosure of all of our donors. The contributions of these donors are helping improve the lives of millions of people across the world.”

[DURHAM D]

12. Thanks Nancy.

I get so tired of those who like to equate apples to ferrets.

[HappyMe]

8. Rilly dahling, nothing wrong with Swiss bank accounts!

How else should I keep my money safe from the unwashed masses and those ugly taxes they keep on about!

[cheapdate]

13. This is either a big issue or a non-issue, depending on your perspective.

For me, it's a non-issue. The foundation exists to do charitable work. Some wealthy industrialists and bankers made donations. I would assume that most of the major non-profits and NGOs get big donations from large corporations, and wealthy industrialists and bankers.

If the Clinton Foundation does good and effective work, then kudos to HSBC for their support.