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Former President
Bill Clinton told staff members on Thursday he would resign from
the foundation's board and that it would only accept donations
from U.S. citizens and independent charities.
The former president also said he would hold the 12th and final
Clinton Global Initiative in September. The annual meetings have
included current and former heads of state, corporate leaders
and celebrities who discussed poverty, healthcare, development
and other issues.
Foundation spokesman Craig Minassian confirmed the moves, which
were first reported by the Associated Press.
The foundation has come under fire during Hillary Clinton's
Democratic presidential campaign, with Republicans charging that
donors were rewarded with access to her and her aides as well as
her husband while she was secretary of state from 2009 to 2013.
Other critics have said the foundation's reliance on millions of
dollars from foreign governments created conflicts of interest
for a would-be U.S. president.
Clinton resigned from the foundation's board after launching her
successful bid for the Democratic presidential nomination. She
will face Republican Donald Trump in the Nov. 8 election.
The Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation, founded in 2001,
has raised more than $2 billion for causes that focus on health
and environmental issues, mainly in the developing world.
(Additional reporting by Jonathan Allen in New York; Reporting
by Eric Walsh; Editing by Peter Cooney)
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