From: Subject: Saudis, Indians among Clinton foundation donors - Yahoo! News Date: Fri, 19 Dec 2008 12:32:31 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/related; type="text/html"; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0000_01C961D5.DCAA33C0" X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2900.5579 This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0000_01C961D5.DCAA33C0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="utf-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Location: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_campaignplus/20081218/ap_ca/clinton_foundation_donors =EF=BB=BF Saudis, Indians among Clinton foundation = donors - Yahoo! News =0A= document.body.className =3D 'js-enabled';=0A=
Skip=20 to navigation =C2=BB Skip=20 to content =C2=BB=20
Make Y! My = HomepageGet Yahoo! Toolbar

Account Options

Hi, BobbySign OutHelp
3D"Yahoo!
  • Home<= /A>
  • = U.S.=20
  • = Business=20
  • = World=20
  • = Entertainment=20
  • = Sports=20
  • = Tech=20
  • = Politics=20
  • Elections=20
  • = Science=20
  • = Health=20
  • = Most=20 Popular

Saudis, Indians among Clinton foundation donors

By BETH FOUHY and SHARON = THEIMER, Associated=20 Press Writers Beth Fouhy And Sharon Theimer, = Associated=20 Press Writers =E2=80=93 Thu Dec 18,=20 6:07 pm ET
Featured Topics:=20
  • Barack=20 Obama=20
  • Presidential=20 Transition
Play Video AP=20  =E2=80=93 Saudis, Indians among Clinton foundation donors =
  • Slideshow:= =20 Bill Clinton
AP =E2=80=93 Former = U.S. President Bill=20 Clinton, left, shakes hand with Malaysia's Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad = Badawi =E2=80=A6

WASHINGTON =E2=80=93 The world opened its wallet for Bill Clinton. Governments, corporations and=20 billionaires with their own interests in U.S. foreign policy gave the = former=20 president's charity millions of dollars, according to records he = released=20 Thursday to lay bare any financial entanglements that could affect his = wife=20 Hillary Rodham Clinton as the next secretary of state.

Saudi Arabia, = Norway and other foreign = governments=20 gave at least $46 million, and donors with ties to India delivered millions more. Corporate = donors=20 included the Blackwater = security=20 firm, at risk of losing its lucrative government contract to = protect U.S.=20 diplomats in Iraq, and Web company Yahoo, involved in disputes over = surrendering Internet=20 information to Chinese authorities that led to the imprisonment of = dissidents=20 there.

Other high-profile Clinton donors don't suggest inevitable collisions = between=20 U.S. policies and their giving. Celebrities Barbra Streisand, Steven Spielberg, Paul Newman, Carly Simon and Chevy Chase all gave. Sports = figures=20 included New York Yankees = owner George=20 Steinbrenner, Formula One driver Michael Schumacher and owners of = the=20 Indiana Pacers basketball team.

The records account for at least $492 million in contributions to the = William J. Clinton = Foundation, a=20 nonprofit created by the former president to finance his library in = Little Rock, Ark., and = charitable=20 efforts in dozens of countries to reduce poverty and treat AIDS. President-elect Barack Obama made Hillary = Clinton's=20 nomination as secretary of state contingent on her husband revealing the = foundation's contributors, to address questions about potential = conflicts of=20 interest.

The foundation disclosed the names of its 205,000 donors on its Web = site=20 Thursday, ending a decade of resistance to identifying them. It released = only=20 the names of donors and the range of their contributions. It did not = identify=20 each contributor's occupation, employer or nationality or provide any = other=20 details. The foundation said separately Thursday that fewer than 3,000 = of its=20 donors were foreigners but it did not identify which ones.

Presidents typically do not release the names of donors to their = foundations,=20 and the Clintons were no different. There also was no legal obligation = for them=20 to do so.

The foundation notified all donors by letter within the last 10 days = to let=20 them know their names would be published on its Web site. Almost no one=20 objected, and none asked to have their donations refunded rather than = have their=20 names released. The foundation has a robust fundraising operation that = solicits=20 money by e-mail and direct mail. It said 90 percent of the donations to = the=20 foundation were $250 and under.

It was not immediately clear whether the disclosures will raise any = serious=20 challenge to Hillary Clinton's nomination to be secretary of state. The = two=20 senior lawmakers on the Senate=20 Foreign Relations Committee, Sens. John F. Kerry, D-Mass., and Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., wrote to = colleagues on=20 Thursday and said the list's disclosure "is designed to establish = greater=20 transparency and predictability with regard to the activities of the = Clinton Foundation in = the context of=20 Sen. Clinton's service as secretary of state."

Shortly after the documents were released Thursday, Hillary Clinton made another appearance at = the State=20 Department for meetings with transition aides, officials said. The trip = was the=20 latest of several to the building for the former first lady since she = was=20 nominated by Obama. Her first visit was Dec. 8, after which she had = dinner with=20 Secretary of State = Condoleezza=20 Rice.

After negotiations with Obama's transition team, Bill Clinton promised to reveal the = contributors,=20 submit future foundation activities and paid speeches to an ethics = review, step=20 away from the day-to-day operation of his annual charitable conference = and=20 inform the State Department about new sources of income and = speeches.

According to Clinton's list, Saudi=20 Arabia gave $10 million to $25 million to the foundation. Other=20 government donors include Norway, Kuwait, Qatar, Brunei, Oman, Italy, Jamaica and Tenerife in = the Canary=20 Islands. The Dutch national lottery gave $5 million to $10 million.

The Blackwater Training Center donated $10,001 to $25,000. The State=20 Department will have to decide next year whether to renew Blackwater Worldwide's contract to protect = U.S.=20 diplomats in Iraq. A U.S. grand jury has indicted five Blackwater guards = on=20 manslaughter and weapons charges stemming from a September 2007 = firefight in=20 Baghdad's Nisoor Square in which 17 Iraqis died.

"Blackwater frequently supports charitable organizations and we were = honored=20 to make a donation to this one, long before Senator Clinton became the Secretary of=20 State-designee," said Blackwater spokeswoman Anne E. Tyrrell.

Donors also include Yahoo;=20 its co-founder Jerry = Yang;=20 Yahoo board member Frank J. Biondi and former Yahoo chief executive = Terry Semel, who stepped = down in=20 June 2007. Another company where Yang serves on the board, Alibaba.com, does = extensive=20 business in China and contributed separately to the foundation.

Eager to tap into China's lucrative markets, Yahoo has fallen under = bitter=20 criticism =E2=80=94 one congressman publicly called Yang a moral "pygmy" = =E2=80=94 after the=20 company handed over e-mails that helped the Chinese government identify and ultimately = imprison=20 two Chinese journalists. Yang later expressed regret over the incident = and urged=20 Rice =E2=80=94 who would become Hillary Clinton's predecessor =E2=80=94 = to negotiate for their=20 freedom.

The foundation's list also underscores ties between the Clintons and = India, which could = complicate=20 diplomatic perceptions of whether Hillary Clinton can be a neutral broker = between India=20 and neighboring Pakistan in a=20 region where Obama will face an early test of his foreign policy = leadership.=20 Tensions between the two nuclear nations are high since last month's = deadly=20 terrorist attacks in Mumbai.

Amar Singh, a donor in the $1 million to $5 million category, is an = Indian politician who = played host to=20 Bill Clinton on a = visit to=20 India in 2005 and met Hillary Clinton in New York in September to discuss an = India-U.S. civil=20 nuclear = agreement.

Also in that category was Suzlon=20 Energy Ltd. of Amsterdam, a leading supplier of wind turbines. = Its=20 chairman is Tulsi R. Tanti, one of India's wealthiest executives. Tanti=20 announced plans at Clinton's Global Initiative meeting earlier this year = for a=20 $5 billion project to develop environmentally friendly power generation = in India=20 and China.=20

Two other Indian interests gave between $500,000 and $1 million each: = the=20 Confederation of Indian=20 Industry, an industrial trade association; and Dave Katragadda, = an Indian capital manager = with holdings=20 in media and entertainment, technology, health care and financial = services. Ajit=20 Gulabchand, chairman of the Hindustan Construction Co., gave $250,000 to = $500,000.=20

Other foreign governments also contributed heavily to the foundation. =

AUSAID, the Australian government's overseas aid program, and=20 COPRESIDA-Secretariado Tecnico, a Dominican Republic government agency = formed to=20 fight AIDS, each = gave $10=20 million to $25 million. Norway gave $5 million to $10 million. Kuwait, = Qatar,=20 Brunei and Oman gave $1 million to $5 million each. The government of Jamaica and Italy's Ministry = for=20 Environment and Territory gave $50,000 to $100,000 each. The Tenerife = Island=20 government donated $25,000 to $50,000.=20

The biggest donations =E2=80=94 more than $25 million each =E2=80=94 = came from two donors.=20 They are the Children's Investment Fund Foundation, a London-based = philanthropic=20 organization founded by hedge fund=20 manager Chris Hohn and his wife Jamie Cooper-Hohn and dedicated = to=20 helping children, primarily in Africa and India; and UNITAID, an = international=20 drug purchase organization formed by Brazil, France, Chile, Norway and Britain to help provide care for = HIV-AIDS,=20 malaria and = tuberculosis=20 patients in countries with high disease rates.=20

The foundation's donor list includes many overseas business = interests:=20

_Saudi businessman Nasser=20 Al-Rashid gave $1 million to $5 million.=20

_Friends of Saudi = Arabia=20 and the Dubai Foundation each gave $1 million to $5 million, as did the = Taiwan Economic and = Cultural Office.=20

_The Swedish Postcode Lottery gave $500,000 to $1 million.=20

_China Overseas Real Estate Development and the U.S. Islamic World = Conference=20 gave $250,000 to $500,000 apiece.=20

_The No. 4 person on the Forbes=20 billionaire list, Lakshmi=20 Mittal, the chief executive of international steel company ArcelorMittal, gave $1 = million to $5=20 million. Mittal is a member of the Foreign Investment Council in = Kazakhstan,=20 Goldman Sachs' = board of=20 directors and the World Economic Forum's International Business Council, = according to the biography on his corporate Web site.=20

_Simon Barcelo, chief executive of Barcelo Hotels & Resorts, gave = $500,000 to $1 million. The company's holdings include hotels in Cuba, a communist = country subject to=20 U.S. trade sanctions.=20

_Victor P. Dahdaleh, who gave $1 million to $5 million, is a Canadian = investor and philanthropist involved in aluminum production. His = business ties=20 have brought allegations of fraud and bribery in a lawsuit filed by a = Bahrain=20 aluminum company. The suit seeks more than $1 billion in damages for = what it=20 alleges is Dadaleh's involvement in questionable deals in the Middle East, and the = Justice Department has = opened a=20 criminal investigation into the matter. Dahdaleh has vowed to vigorously = contest=20 the charges.=20

Among other $1 million to $5 million donors:=20

_Harold Snyder, director for Teva=20 Pharmaceutical Industries, the largest drug company in Israel. His son, Jay T. = Snyder,=20 serves on the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, which = oversees State Department = activities, and=20 served as a senior U.S. adviser to the United Nations, where he worked on = international=20 trade and poverty. Jay Snyder donated between $100,000 and $250,000 to = the=20 foundation.=20

_No. 97 on the Forbes billionaire list, Ethiopian-Saudi business = tycoon=20 Sheikh Mohammed H. Al-Amoudi.=20

_Issam Fares, a = former deputy prime = minister of=20 Lebanon.=20

_Mala Gaonkar Haarman, a partner and managing director at the private = investment partnership Lone Pine=20 Capital.=20

_Lukas Lundin, chairman of oil, gas and mining businesses including=20 Tanganyika Oil Company Ltd., an international oil and gas exploration = and=20 production company with interests in Syria, and Vostok Nafta Investment = Ltd., an=20 investment company that focuses on Russia and other former Soviet republics.=20

_Victor = Pinchuk, son-in-law=20 of the former president of Ukraine. Clinton spoke in 2007 at an annual = meeting=20 of Yalta European Strategy, a group Pinchuk founded to promote Ukraine = joining=20 the European = Union.=20

The top ranks of Clinton's donor list are heavy with longtime = Democratic=20 givers, some notable for their staunch support of Israel.=20

_TV producer Haim = Saban and=20 his family foundation, who donated between $5 million and $10 million, = splits=20 his time between homes in Israel and California. "I'm a one-issue guy and my = issue is=20 Israel," he told The New = York=20 Times in 2004.=20

_Slim-Fast diet foods tycoon S.=20 Daniel Abraham, a donor of between $1 million and $5 million, has = been a=20 board member of the American Israel=20 Public Affairs Committee, which promotes Israel's interests = before the=20 U.S. government.=20

_The American Jewish Committee and the United Nations Foundation donated $100,000 = to=20 $250,000.=20

Clinton thanked his donors in a statement for being "steadfast = partners in=20 our work to impact the lives of so many around the world in measurable = and=20 meaningful ways."=20

The former president agreed to step away from direct involvement in = the=20 Clinton Global Initiative, an annual charitable conference where = businesses and=20 many foreign governments pledge donations to help ameliorate AIDS, poverty and other = social ills.=20 He will continue serving as CGI's founding chairman but will not solicit = money=20 or sponsorships. The CGI will cease accepting foreign contributions and = will not=20 host events outside the United States.=20

Clinton started raising money for his library before leaving the = White House.=20 Over the years, the Clintons repeatedly refused to identify all the = foundation=20 donors, and continued to do so during Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign.=20

Names surfaced nonetheless. Several news organizations unearthed=20 foreign-government donors, and in 2001, Bill Clinton turned over a list of 150 top = foundation=20 donors to a House committee investigating his pardon of fugitive = businessman=20 Marc Rich, whose = ex-wife,=20 Denise Rich, gave the library foundation at least $450,000.=20

___=20

On the Net:=20

Clinton Foundation=20 contributors: http://www.clintonfoundation.org/contributors=20

____=20

Beth Fouhy reported from New=20 York. Associated Press writers Ted Bridis, Jim Drinkard and = Matthew Lee=20 in Washington contributed to this report.

Related Searches:

  • mal= aria=20
  • founder=20 jerry yang
  • victor=20 pinchuk
  • secretary=20 of state condoleezza rice
  • sen.=20 richard lugar
  • Recommend

Most Blogged - Elections

  • Picks=20 for Labor and Trade Positions Disagree on Policy New York = Times =E2=80=93=20 Thu Dec 18, 6:19 pm EDT
    Blogs About This Story (9)=20
      Prev= Next
    • Prev= Next
  • Rick=20 Warren and Invoking Teh Inauguration Emptywheel =E2=80=93 = Thu Dec 18, 6:07=20 pm EDT
    Blogs About This Story (3)=20
      Prev= Next

      • Elsewhere on the Web

      • Politico:=20 Bush announces $17.4 billion auto bailout
      • McClatchy=20 Newspapers: Obama to fill SEC, transportation and trade roles =
      • ABC=20 News: Bush to the Rescue: Cheap Loans for GM and Chrysler=20

      Alerts

      Get an alert when there are new stories about:

      =20
      • malaria
      • founder Jerry Yang
      • Secretary of State = Condoleezza=20 Rice
      • Sen. Richard Lugar
      • =20
      View=20 More Alerts =C2=BB

      Also on Yahoo! News

      • Today=20 in History
      • Obituaries=20
      • Corrections=20
      • News=20 by Region (Yahoo! Directory)
      • Yahoo!=20 News & Media Sites

      Daily Features

      Photo Highlight

      Photo=20 Highlight Slideshow

      The piercing blue eyes of a Husky are photographed in Rovaniemi. = AFP/Olivier=20 Morin

      More=20 Photos and Slideshow =C2=BB

      Advertisements

      • Artery=20 clearing health secret
      • Netflix:=20 Only $4.99/mo.
      • cure=20 arthritis with a raisin
      ADVERTISEMENT

      Politics Video

      More=20 Politics Video =C2=BB

      Education

      • =20
        Find=20 a Rewarding CareerFind opportunities where you make a difference.=20 Education, Health Care and more!
      • =20
        Recession=20 Proof JobsWhen the economy is down you can still move up! See jobs = in 5=20 recession proof industries.

      Yahoo!Real=20 Estate

      Search homes for sale and rent:

      Location (City & State or Zip): =20
      Listing Type=20
      • Homes for Sale
      • Foreclosures
      • Apartments for Rent
      • New Homes
      Price: = to=20
      Bedrooms:
      Bathrooms: =
      =20
      More from=20 Yahoo! Real Estate =C2=BB
      Yahoo! News Navigation
      • Home<= /A>=20
      • = U.S.=20
      • = Business=20
      • = World=20
      • = Entertainment=20
      • = Sports=20
      • = Tech=20
      • = Politics=20
      • = Science=20
      • = Health=20
      • Travel=20
      • = Most=20 Popular=20
      • = Odd=20 News=20
      • = Opinion=20
      News Services
      • RSS=20
      • News=20 Alerts=20
      • Weather=20 Alerts=20
      • Add=20 Yahoo! Headlines to Your Site=20
      • Site=20 Map=20
      • Help=20
      • Feedback=20
      Copyright =C2=A9 2008 Yahoo! Inc. All rights = reserved.
      • Questions=20 or Comments
      • Privacy=20 Policy
      • Terms=20 of Service
      • Copyright/IP=20 = Policy