While President-elect Donald Trump earlier announced a U-turn on investigating Hillary Clinton, he is now reportedly planning to pressure foreign governments to look into the finances of the Clinton Foundation.
During one of the campaign debates, Trump said once he is in the oval office he would appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Hillary Clinton’s alleged misgivings, including the use of a private email server and involvement in the Clinton Foundation.
“You'd be in jail,” he warned his rival if he were to win the election.
After his election victory he made a U-turn on the threat. But according to the New York Post, the Trump administration would pressure foreign governments to investigate the financial dealings of the Clinton Foundation.
“Haiti and Colombia will be key diplomatic posts for this because of all the money involved,” the newspaper cited a source in the Trump transition team as saying.
In Haiti “friends of Bill” Clinton may have been given priority from the US State Department as it distributed some $10 billion worth of aid after the impoverished island nation was hit by a devastating quake in 2010, according to emails obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.
In Colombia, the foundation’s close relations with Canadian mining magnate Frank Giustra are under scrutiny. The businessman pledged $100 million to the foundation in 2005. One of the companies he holds a stake in later acquired large swaths of land in the country to cut down forests and extract oil, with watchdog groups saying it was on the back of the foundation's charity work.
Over the decades the foundation received millions of dollars in donations from foreign governments, including Arab monarchies like Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Critics claim the foundation offered a ‘pay-to-play’ arrangement to donors, receiving donations for lobbying favorable policies in the US government.
READ MORE: Clinton foundation admits receiving $1mn donation from Qatar that it previously hid
Hillary Clinton resigned her position in the Clinton Foundation in April 2015 to campaign for the presidency. Her husband Bill and daughter Chelsea remain on the board of directors.
Since Trump’s victory in the presidential race, several foreign governments reportedly decided to scale down or cut financial ties with the Clinton Foundation or investigate such ties in the past. The list includes France, Australia and Norway.