Politico: While The State Department Ethics Agreement “Subjected Bill Clinton’s Moneymaking Activities To Official Review, It Imposed No Vetting On Donations To The Clinton Foundation By Individuals Or Private Companies In The U.S. Or Abroad.” “The records also highlight a blind spot in the ethics deal the Clintons and the Obama transition team hammered out in 2008 with the involvement of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee: While the pact subjected Bill Clinton’s moneymaking activities to official review, it imposed no vetting on donations to the Clinton Foundation by individuals or private companies in the U.S. or abroad.” [Politico, 2/25/15] Politico: “In A 2009 Memo Greenlighting [Clinton Speaking Engagements], A State Department Ethics Official Specifically Asked About Possible Links Between President Clinton’s Speaking Engagements And Donations To The Clinton Foundation.” “In a 2009 memo greenlighting those talks, a State Department ethics official specifically asked about possible links between President Clinton’s speaking engagements and donations to the Clinton Foundation. However, the released documents show no evidence that the question was addressed. ‘In future requests, I would suggest including a statement listing whether or not any of the proposed sponsors of a speaking event have made a donation to the Clinton Foundation and, if so, the amount and date,’ wrote Jim Thessin, then the State Department’s top ethics approver and No. 2 lawyer.” [Politico, 2/25/15] State Department Spokesman On Bill Clinton Speaking Arrangements: “In Several Respects, Secretary Clinton’s Commitments Went Beyond The Requirements Of Applicable Laws And Regulations…We Believe Secretary Clinton Honored Fully These Undertakings.” [Politico, 2/25/15] Clinton Foundation: “President Clinton And The Clinton Foundation Both Held Themselves To Much Higher Standards Than Existing Rules For Spouses Of Government Officials, And For The Organizations With Which They Are Affiliated.” [Politico, 2/25/15] Politico: “Obtaining Details [From The State Department] On How The Approval Process Played Out In Practice Has Been Difficult And Slow.” “Doubts also remain about the transparency of the ethics deal. Obtaining details on how the approval process played out in practice has been difficult and slow. For nearly three years after POLITICO filed a Freedom of Information Act request for the records in late 2009, the State Department released no information. Heavily redacted documents began to emerge only after the conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch filed a lawsuit in 2013. So far, the department has not committed to a date to produce all of the records.” [Politico, 2/25/15] Politico: Weeks After Hillary Clinton Became Secretary Of State, Bill Clinton “Sought Approval For Three, Three-Year Consulting Arrangements, Asking That State Department Ethics Officials Respond Within Five Days.” “Within weeks after Hillary Clinton took office, her husband’s office sought approval for three, three-year consulting arrangements, asking that State Department ethics officials respond within five days — a turnaround time referenced in the ethics deal. All three were with companies headed by longtime friends of the former president — Saban Capital Group, led by cartoon magnate Haim Saban; Shangri-La Industries, led by California investor Steve Bing; and Wasserman Investments, run by sports marketing and entertainment executive Casey Wasserman, son of Hollywood mogul Lew Wasserman.” [Politico, 2/25/15] Politico: “Part Of The Reason For Delayed Records Disclosure On The Vetting Process Is A Decision By State Department Officials To Seek Input From The Former President On Document Releases.” Part of the reason for delayed records disclosure on the vetting process is a decision by State Department officials to seek input from the former president on document releases. Hundreds of pages of material have been held up for ‘consultation’ under the terms of an executive order President Ronald Reagan signed in 1987 to protect ‘confidential commercial information.’” [Politico, 2/25/15] Wall Street Journal: “The Clinton Foundation Has Dropped Its Self-Imposed Ban On Collecting Funds From Foreign Governments And Is Winning Contributions At An Accelerating Rate.” “The Clinton Foundation has dropped its self-imposed ban on collecting funds from foreign governments and is winning contributions at an accelerating rate, raising ethical questions as Hillary Clinton ramps up her expected bid for the presidency.” [Wall Street Journal, 2/17/15]