“The donations to The Clinton Foundation are highly problematic politically and potentially legally for the Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign,” retired University of Florida Law Professor Clifford Jones told Sputnik on Friday.
The decision comes after Hillary Clinton announced on April 12 she would seek the Democratic presidential nomination.
“Continuing to take [foreign contributions] while a declared candidate, even limiting them to specific countries — if in fact they are limited — confirms the impression it was wrong for her to accept them,” Jones said.
Boston University Political Science Professor Thomas Whalen told Sputnik that continuing to accept the donations will likely not damage Clinton’s campaign, although it shows “apparent conflict of interest.”
“The Clintons operate on a whole new political level. This could be devastating for most campaigns, but the Clintons, they get out of more traps than Harry Houdini,” Whalen said.
Whalen continued that most Americans have already established an opinion on the Clintons. “I don’t think any scandal or any semi scandal like this will change that perception,” he said.
The Foundation’s spokesperson Craig Minassian announced Hillary Clinton’s resignation earlier in the week, saying that the Foundation adheres to a high level of transparency. A complete list of the organization’s donors, however, has not been published since 2010.
The Clinton Foundation works on issues of economic empowerment, citizen service and racial reconciliation, among others. It was established in 2001 after former President Bill Clinton completed his last presidential term.
