Donors had access to secy of state Clinton
More than half the people outside the government who met with Hillary Clinton while she was secretary of state gave money - either personally or through companies or groups - to the Clinton Foundation, reported the Associated Press.
At least 85 of 154 people from private interests who met or had phone conversations scheduled with Clinton while she led the State Department donated to her family charity or pledged commitments to its international programmes, according to a review of State Department calendars released so far to The Associated Press.
Combined, the 85 donors contributed as much as $156 million. At least 40 donated more than $100,000 each, and 20 gave more than $1 million.
The AP report, however, said the meetings between the Democratic presidential nominee and foundation donors do not appear to violate legal agreements that Clinton and former president Bill Clinton signed before she joined the State Department in 2009.
But the frequency of the overlaps shows the intermingling of access and donations, and fuels perceptions that giving the foundation money was a price of admission for face time with Clinton.
One of the donors is Nobel laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus who is believed to be a friend of the Democratic presidential nominee.
American affiliates of Grameen Bank has been working with the Clinton Foundation's Clinton Global Initiative programmes from as early as 2005, pledging millions of dollars in microloans for the poor.
Grameen America, the bank's nonprofit US flagship, which Yunus chairs, has given between $100,000 and $250,000 to the foundation - a figure that bank spokeswoman Becky Asch said reflects the institution's annual fees to attend CGI meetings.
Another Grameen arm chaired by Yunus, Grameen Research, has donated between $25,000 and $50,000.
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