Donors remain issue for Clinton

Washington —- Sen. Hillary Clinton on Tuesday appeared to overcome senatorial doubts that foreign contributions to her husband’s charitable and consulting work would interfere with her job as President-elect Barack Obama’s secretary of state.

Members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee heaped praise on Clinton in her confirmation hearing and said she had gained global stature visiting 80 countries as first lady and during her eight years representing New York in the Senate.

“Her time in the Senate has given her a deep understanding of how U.S. foreign policy can be enriched by establishing a closer relationship between the executive and legislative branches,” said Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), chairman of the committee.

In a crowded Senate hearing room and flanked by her daughter, Chelsea, Clinton, 61, vowed to use “smart power” —- a blend of diplomatic, military and political tools —- in international dealings.

Clinton used her 16-page opening statement and hours of questioning by the panel to tie her foreign policy views to those of Obama and showed no hint of the differences on Iraq and Iran that came up during their dueling presidential campaigns last year.

Clinton’s biggest challenge has been soothing senators worried that her husband’s charitable work and fund-raising for the Clinton Foundation he leads poses the risk of a distracting ethics controversy.

The Associated Press, in a review, found that Clinton stepped in at least a half-dozen times on issues involving businesses and others who later gave to the charity. The issues involved pharmaceutical companies and telecommunications and energy interests; all said their donations to the Clinton Foundation had nothing to do with the senator’s previous work on their issues.

The Clintons have already disclosed the names of 200,000 donors to the foundation and have agreed to release the names of any new contributors to its programs. Former President Bill Clinton has pledged to curb his fund-raising for the foundation. And, under an accord reached between the Clintons and the Obama transition team, ethics officers at the State Department will vet foreign contributions to the foundation as well as paid speeches by the former president.

Several senators on Tuesday said that wasn’t enough to avoid controversy. Sen. Dick Lugar (R-Ind.) called on the foundation to stop accepting any foreign donations.

“Foreign governments and entities may perceive the Clinton Foundation as a means to gain favor with the secretary of state,” because “its work benefits [the Clintons’] legacy and their public service priorities,” Lugar said.

“Even well-intentioned foreign donations carry risks for U.S. foreign policy,” Lugar added.

Pressed by Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) on the issue, Clinton acknowledged that she would be joining the Obama Cabinet under “unique circumstances.” But she insisted that the current disclosure agreement between the Clinton Foundation and the incoming Obama administration —- which goes beyond what is required by federal ethics rules —- was sufficient.

“The foundation and the president-elect decided to go beyond what the law and the ethics rules call for to address even the appearance of conflict,” Clinton said.

Committee members widely signaled that they would support her confirmation.

Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) noted that while “there are legitimate questions” about the intersection of Clinton’s career and her husband’s charitable work, “those questions have been very well answered.”