One of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s biggest hurdles in the 2016 election lies with the perception of her ethical judgment. Republicans have repeatedly attacked her on it, with their presidential nominee Donald Trump constantly referring to her with one of his petulant nicknames: “Crooked Hillary.”
The Clinton campaign is doing everything they can to at least appear more ethical and transparent, and a recent announcement involving Clinton’s charitable organization is a step in the right direction. The Clinton Foundation announced that, should Clinton be elected President in November, the foundation will no longer accept foreign or corporate donations.
The Clinton Foundation is a charity that works to improve global health and develop the economies of less fortunate areas of the world. They have raised over $2 billion since being founded in 1997. However, people have questioned some of the ethics of the foundation, with Trump even calling it a “pay for play” organization.
Many top donors are either foreign entities or corporations who may have interests in some of the projects and areas that the Clinton Foundation focuses on. By halting these payments, the Clinton campaign hopes to quell some of those rumors and paint Hillary Clinton in a more positive light.
In an effort to make the campaign even more transparent, former President Bill Clinton has also made a few proclamations should his wife emerge the victor in November. Bill Clinton has said that he will resign from the Clinton Foundation’s executive board if Hillary wins, and he will also stop giving paid speeches throughout her presidency.
While the Clinton Foundation is obviously doing great work, it is definitely proving to be too much of a distraction, even among some other Democrats. The Clintons will surely still catch some flak for waiting until after the election rather than immediately, but it is a step in the right direction for a campaign with perceived untrustworthiness as its main obstacle to victory.
Feature Image via YouTube video.
