The Clinton Foundation told DailyMail.com it will not return as much as $250,000 in donations from Harvey Weinstein, saying on Sunday the money had already been spent on the organization’s programs and used for charitable purposes.
The foundation’s decision comes as politicians and philanthropic groups grapple with whether to return donations they have received from Weinstein, after numerous women stepped forward this month to accuse the movie mogul of sexual assault, harassment and rape.
Over a dozen Democratic politicians have said they will give back or donate Weinstein’s campaign contributions to charity.
The Clinton Foundation faced questions about Weinstein’s funding after Hillary Clinton said last week she would re-gift his campaign donations to charity.
Weinstein was a major bundler for Clinton, hosting fundraising events with deep-pocketed Hollywood donors, and personally contributed over $35,000 to her 2016 presidential campaign.
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh (left) and former President Bill Clinton (right) leave the Madison Park Technical High School at the beginning of a day of Community Service with the Clinton Global Initiative University in Boston
Clinton arrives to speak with students at Clinton Global Initiative University Day Of Action as more than 600 young people prepare to participate in the Day of Action activiteis throughout the city of Boston
The Clinton Foundation told DailyMail.com it will not return as much as $250,000 in donations from Harvey Weinstein, saying on Sunday the money had already been spent on the organization’s programs and used for charitable purposes
The foundation said on Sunday the money had already been spent on the organization’s programs and used for charitable purposes
On Sunday, Bill and Chelsea Clinton attended CGI’s ‘Day of Action’ for community service in Boston, where students participated in mural-painting and volunteered in low-income housing projects
The Clinton Foundation has downsized since the 2016 election. Earlier this year it laid off a number of its employees and said it was retiring the Clinton Global Initiative, an annual conference where corporations pledged funds for ‘commitments’ combatting problems like hunger and poverty
But the foundation went ahead with its planned Clinton Global Initiative University conference in Boston this weekend, a spin-off of CGI aimed at college students
A spokesperson for the Clinton Foundation told DailyMail.com that the group will not return Weinstein’s donations, which totaled between $100,000 and $250,000.
He said Weinstein’s last contribution to the group was in 2014.
The spokesman said the foundation already spent the money on its programs, such as lowering the cost of HIV medication and supporting women and girls in developing countries.
The foundation said it supports commitments to combat human trafficking, and runs the No Ceilings Project ‘which aims to advance the full participation of girls and women around the world’ through ‘data-driven analysis on gender inequality, an in-depth conversation series, innovative partnerships, and CGI commitments.’
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh tweeted a photo of himself addressing student leaders as Chelsea Clinton (far left) and Bill Clinton look on
The explanation comes after foundation board member Chelsea Clinton (seen above with students in Boston on Sunday) ducked questions about Weinstein’s money from a DailyMail.com reporter while attending a Clinton Global Initiative University event
The explanation comes after foundation board member Chelsea Clinton ducked questions about Weinstein’s money from a DailyMail.com reporter while attending a Clinton Global Initiative University event at Northeastern University in Boston on Saturday.
The former first daughter hustled out a side door after the event, evading a reporter as she rushed to her car surrounded by aides and security.
The Clinton Foundation and a spokesperson for Hillary Clinton had previously declined to comment on the Weinstein matter.
Organizations have been divided on whether to return money to Weinstein, who gave to numerous political and philanthropic causes over the years.
Rutgers University said last week it would not return $100,000 given by Weinstein to support the school’s Gloria Steinem Chair in Media, Culture, and Feminist Studies.
The University of Southern California said it would return a pledged $5 million donation from Weinstein (seen last month in New York) to fund a program for female filmmakers. Neither of these gifts had been spent prior to the news about Weinstein’s sexual assault scandal
However, the University of Southern California said it would return a pledged $5 million donation from Weinstein to fund a program for female filmmakers. Neither of these gifts had been spent prior to the news about Weinstein’s sexual assault scandal.
Previous scandals have prompted organizations to return donations under similar scenarios. Last year, the University of Ohio gave back $500,000 in donations from former Fox News CEO Roger Ailes and removed an honorary plaque in its college newsroom after he was accused of sexual harassment by multiple women. Ailes passed away in May.
Spelman College returned a donation from Bill Cosby to fund an endowed professorship in 2015, after dozens of women came forward to accuse the comedian of drugging and raping them.
The Clinton Foundation has downsized since the 2016 election. Earlier this year it laid off a number of its employees and said it was retiring the Clinton Global Initiative, an annual conference where corporations pledged funds for ‘commitments’ combatting problems like hunger and poverty.
But the foundation went ahead with its planned Clinton Global Initiative University conference in Boston this weekend, a spin-off of CGI aimed at college students.
The CGI University conference brought together thousands of student activist to discuss issues ranging from sexual assault to sustainable energy, and included keynotes and panel discussions with Bill Clinton, Chelsea Clinton and Madeleine Albright.
Bill Clinton spoke on Friday night and held a panel discussion with the first American Muslim female Olympic medallist Ibthaj Muhammad, race relations expert Daryl Davis, and Thomas Cade Edwards, a high school senior who helped rescue victims of Hurricane Harvey.
Clinton said race relations in the U.S. have largely improved, but the 2016 election brought underlying bigotry to the surface.
‘By any objective measure the election notwithstanding, the country is less racist, homophobic, religiously bigoted, and sexist than it ever has been before,’ said Clinton. ‘It’s just all hanging out there now, for obvious reasons.’
He called on participants to meet with and engage people they disagree with, and praised Davis, a race relations activist, for giving speeches to members of the Ku Klux Klan and challenging their views.
A spokesperson for the Clinton Foundation told DailyMail.com that the group will not return Weinstein’s donations, which totaled between $100,000 and $250,000. He said Weinstein’s last contribution to the group was in 2014. Weinstein and Hillary Clinton are seen in 2004
‘I wish we had a thousand African Americans like you who would go seek out Klan members. Because most of [the KKK] are just following the crowd,’ said Clinton.
‘And there is some good there that could be much better. And you give them a chance and they give you a chance.’
Clinton did not take questions during the event, and press access was tightly restricted.
On Sunday, Bill and Chelsea attended CGI’s ‘Day of Action’ for community service in Boston, where students participated in mural-painting and volunteered in low-income housing projects.
Hillary Clinton faced criticism during the election for accepting millions in donations from foreign governments while she was serving as secretary of state, including Qatar, Algeria and Oman.
Critics said the donations created a conflict of interest and were a potential violation of an ethics agreement Clinton signed with the Obama administration that placed restrictions on the foundation’s foreign government funding.
In 2006, the Clinton Foundation also accepted $25,000 from billionaire and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting sex acts from a minor in 2008, after an extensive FBI investigation that looked into multiple allegations involving Epstein and underage girls.