Chelsea Clinton stepped up to defend her family's foundation, saying she'd never been questioned about its political motives,
The Washington Post reported.
"Whenever I have had a conversation with anyone, it's always about the work. I've never had anyone talk to me about my parents in a political capacity for a foundation program," Clinton said Tuesday as she attended a foundation meeting in Marrakesh, Morocco, alongside her father, former President Bill Clinton, the Post said.
Clinton, who is expected to play a key role as surrogate for her mother's 2016 presidential campaign, spotlighted the good works that she said are typical of the foundation's success.
"What people who choose to partner with us, whether it's in a financial capacity or a programmatic capacity, expect to get is the work that we've seen on this trip," Clinton said, amid lingering criticism of the foundation for taking money from foreign governments in what some have suggested was in exchange for political favors and influence in the U.S.
"They expect to make a difference in stopping elephant poaching. They expect to make a difference in expanding secondary education for girls," Clinton, who serves as the organization's vice-chairwoman, added.
She told the Post: "My family is no stranger to scrutiny, and neither is the foundation. It has been under intense scrutiny since inception. When you mix together the higher level of scrutiny around the foundation and then the political dimension, I'm not surprised."
The Clintons have traveled to Africa for events sponsored "by an array of global corporations,"
Politico reported last month of the Morocco visit.
Said Politico: "The event is being funded largely by a contribution of at least $1 million from OCP, a phosphate exporter owned by Morocco's constitutional monarchy, according to multiple sources with direct knowledge of the event."
But even the Marrakesh Clinton Global Initiative already has seen its own share of controversy, deepening scrutiny for the Clintons as Hillary Clinton begins a presidential campaign at home,
philanthropy.com said.
"The Marrakesh CGI has itself been controversial with several major Moroccan companies — some with government times — among its financial sponsors. Human-rights advocates have called on the foundation to cut ties with one meeting backer, phosphate-mining firm OCP, which is accused of exploiting natural resources in the Western Sahara without the consent of the indigenous population," the website said.
The website, which reports on charitable giving, also pointed out how
foundation donors had "buttressed" Clinton's presidential campaign.
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