Obama Admin, Big Businesses Abandon Clinton Global Initiative: Column

[Purveyor]

Amid controversy, slipping polls, the non-profit arm of the Clinton dynasty is no longer a safe bet

David Mastio, USA TODAY 5:41 p.m. EDT September 18, 2015

More bad news for the Clintons. With Hillary's presidential campaign slipping in the polls against Sen. Bernie Sanders and facing a potential fresh challenge from Vice President Joe Biden, six giants of the corporate world are bailing out on the Clinton Global Initiative.

On Sept. 26, CGI, a branch of the Clinton Foundation, convenes its 11th annual meeting with a star-studded cast. Bill and Chelsea Clinton will be joined by Ashley Judd, Charlize Theron, Edward Norton, Ted Danson, Tina Brown, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Sir Richard Branson, Bill Gates and George Soros. What will be missing is more than a million dollars from a who's who of corporate behemoths that sponsored the meeting last year. Six high-profile firms ended their cash donations, to be replaced with only one similar high-profile corporate donor so far.

USA TODAY has confirmed that sponsors from 2014 that have backed out for this year include electronics company Samsung, oil giant ExxonMobil, global financial firms Deutsche Bank and HSBC, and accounting firm PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers). Hewlett-Packard, which just announced major layoffs, will be an in-kind donor instead of a cash contributor, and the agri-chem firm Monsanto has cut back its donation. Dow's name is missing from the donor list as well, but the chemical company's exit is not confirmed.

High-profile corporations might not be the only key supporters backing away from association with the Clinton family's charitable arm. In 2014, eight national leaders, kings, presidents and prime ministers, appeared on the program for CGI's annual meeting, including the president of the United States and the prime minister of Japan. This year, only leaders from Colombia and Liberia are currently on the program.

The Obama administration is backing away as well. In 2014, the cabinet officials heading the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Commerce, as well as key White House adviser Valerie Jarrett spoke at the conference. This year no Obama administration appointees as prominent are on the program.

MORE...

http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2015/09/18/clinton-foundation-sponsor-dow-exxon-hp-samsung-hsbc-hp-mastio-column/72336094/

[Skwmom]

1. Glad to see President Obama and his administration will not be tainted with that mess. n/t

[840high]

2. Amen

[Skwmom]

3. Coca-Cola Owes $3.3 Billion in Taxes

I guess that explains why they didn't jump ship.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/coca-cola-could-face-3-3-billion-tax-liability-over-foreign-license-accounting-1442591946

[roguevalley]

4. just the start I imagine. the birds have come

home to roost.

[HereSince1628]

5. Is the implication that HRC won't be in a position to provide a "return on investment"

Or just that the big corporate money won't be seen to have had the smarts to pick a winner?

We've been told repeatedly that there are no quid pro quos and that the foundation was truly on the up and up