While engaged in admirable humanitarian aid work in Haiti this week, GOP presidential candidate Rand Paul nonetheless lobbed shameful and patently false attacks against Hillary Clinton and the charitable work of the Clinton Foundation.
Despite America’s proud tradition of politicians halting partisan attacks while abroad, Rand Paul just couldn’t resist, falsely attacking the Clinton Foundation’s efforts following the 2010 Haiti earthquake. This is a lazy and inaccurate line of attack—one that has been debunked time and time again.
In short, not only did Rand Paul hurl domestic political barbs while doing philanthropic work abroad, he didn’t even have the decency to approximate the truth. The Clinton Foundation has been a major part of rebuilding efforts in the island nation for five years. Rand Paul should be encouraging the efforts of the Clinton Foundation instead of exploiting them for political points.
Here are the facts:
- PAUL’S CLAIM: “‘To me the most disgusting thing about the Clinton foundation is almost none of their money went to charity,’ Paul said.”
- THE FACTS:
- “Overall, the foundation spends about 89 percent of its money on its charitable mission, according to the independent American Institute of Philanthropy. Based on that analysis, the watchdog group gave the foundation a rating of A for 2013, on a scale that goes to A-plus.” [Washington Post, 6/2/2015]
- “Comparatively little of the organization’s money goes toward bringing in more cash. The foundation devoted $7.8 million to fundraising, equal to 3.5 percent of its budget. Nearly 90 percent of foundation money went into its programs, while 6.5 percent went toward management and general expenses.” [AP, 12/26/13]
- “In truth, the Clinton Foundation is among the most forthcoming of major charities and nonprofit foundations – especially those headed by public figures. […] So here’s a fact that should start appearing in news accounts and essays: In the world of big American philanthropy, the Clinton Foundation is remarkably transparent.” [Forbes, 4/26/2015]
- PAUL’S CLAIM: “[Paul suggested] that only 6 percent of the Clinton Global Initiative’s revenue went to charitable grants.”
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THE FACTS:
- The Clinton Foundation provides the vast majority of its services through direct charitable work by staff, rather than through grant making.
- “Although it has ‘foundation’ in its name, the Clinton Foundation is actually a public charity. In practical terms, this means both that it relies heavily on donations from the public and that it achieves its mission primarily by using those donations to conduct direct charitable activities, as opposed to providing grants from an endowment. Failure to understand the difference led to the widespread claim (covered by the New York Post, Rush Limbaugh, Fox News, and others) that only a small portion of Clinton Foundation spending goes toward charity. While measuring charitable endeavors by the amount of grants awarded may be appropriate for many private foundations, it is not for an organization that acts as a direct service provider like the Clinton Foundation.” [Op-Ed by Brian Mittendorf, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 6/8/2015]
- American Institute of Philanthropy president: “Regardless of whether you like [Hillary Clinton’s] politics or not, this is a good charity.”“Borochoff said his organization looks at both tax filings and a charity’s audited financial statement to analyze how much of spending goes to its charitable mission. He said, for instance, that an overall salary figure might be misleading — some salaries fund administrative workers, but other salaries go to charitable workers in the field. The Clinton Foundation has said that it employs 2,000 people around the world. ‘Regardless of whether you like [Hillary Clinton’s] politics or not, this is a good charity,’ he said.” [Washington Post, 4/27/15]
- ONE LAST THING: Here’s what the last two GOP nominees for president had to say about the work of the Clinton Foundation.
- John McCain:“Let me also congratulate you, Mr. President, on the great work of the Clinton Global Initiative. It says a lot about a man that after 12 years as a governor, and another eight years at the Resolute desk, he is still working hard in service to others.” [McCain remarks, 9/25/08]
- Mitt Romney:“The Clinton Global Initiative has also demonstrated the effectiveness of entrepreneurship and social enterprise. You endeavor to not only comfort the afflicted, but to also change lives [through] freedom, free enterprise, and the incomparable dignity of work.” [Romney remarks to CGI, 9/25/12]