Chaffetz presses Kerry on Clinton Foundation

The chairman of the House Oversight Committee on Thursday pressed Secretary of State John Kerry on the relationship between the Clinton Foundation and the State Department.

Citing a series of recent media reports that have alleged an uncomfortably close affiliation during predecessor Hillary Clinton’s tenure, Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) demanded Kerry turn over information on State employees who also performed work for the Clinton family nonprofit.

{mosads}“These reports give rise to a perception that access to our State Department’s official resources, were for sale,” Chaffetz wrote.

“The allegations contained in the Associated Press report and others also raise questions as to whether State Department employees acted to benefit the Clinton Foundation in violation of executive branch ethics guidelines.”

Clinton has been under fire from Republicans for allegedly running a “pay-for-play” operation whilst in office.

Both Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus have called for a special prosecutor to investigate the foundation.

On Tuesday, The Associated Press reported that more than half of the meetings that Clinton took with people outside the government while serving as secretary of State were with Clinton Foundation donors.

The Clinton campaign has fired back, arguing the publication “cherry-picked” numbers by failing to count government employees or representatives of foreign governments.

On Monday, the conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch released a trove of email exchanges that the group claims show high-dollar foundation donors and partners receiving special access to Clinton.

The emails show top Clinton aide Huma Abedin working with foundation head Doug Band to coordinate meetings between donors and Clinton. They also show some donors making requests for help with visas, although those requests were not always met.

Chaffetz on Thursday demanded a list of employees who sought permission to perform Clinton Foundation activities, as well as what those activities were and any communications related to the request.

He also asked for any emails to or from Abedin and Cheryl Mills relating to prospective State and Clinton Foundation employees and any State Department employees’ communications related to “obtaining information or advice on behalf of the Clinton Foundation.”

Further, he requested any State employee communications with foundation donors and employees and a list of individuals Clinton met with or spoke to by phone during her tenure.