Cruz: Clinton Foundation should return donations

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is calling for his potential 2016 foe Hillary Clinton to return all donations made to the Clinton Foundation by foreign governments, as criticism stemming from a new book continues to mount.

“The Clinton Foundation collected tens of millions of dollars from foreign governments including donors who had business interests with the State Department while Clinton was Secretary. She made decisions in that capacity that likely benefited the same people who were giving large donations to the foundation,” Cruz said Friday in a statement.

{mosads}”At the very least, these revelations present a clear conflict of interest. I call on Hillary Clinton to return the donations from foreign governments. Until she does, how can the American people trust her with another position of power?”

Clinton has faced questions about her family’s foundation since the beginning of the campaign, but the criticism has been amplified by the upcoming release of the book Clinton Cash, by Peter Schweizer. The book, due out May 5, suggests the appearance of a conflict of interest over a number of decisions made at the State Department that affected Clinton Foundation donors.

She stepped down from the foundation’s board earlier this month as she began her presidential bid, having served in that role since resigning as secretary of State in 2013. In an effort to counter criticism, the Clinton Foundation has placed restrictions on which foreign countries it will accept donations from.

Clinton campaign aides and outside allies have trashed Schweizer’s book as a political hit-job, arguing the author is associated with conservative media outlets and politicians.

Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta trashed the book as “cherry-picked information” and “conspiracy theories” during an interview this week on PBS’s “Charlie Rose.” 

And the pro-Clinton rapid response group Correct the Record has circulated fact sheets pushing back against the book’s claims by citing news articles that questioned the book’s findings.