The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

ALSO INSIDE

Trump: Report on donor meetings sparks questions.

- By Greg Bluestein gbluestein@ajc.com

In Atlanta visit, Bill Clinton defends foundation’s work,

Former President Bill Clinton, during a campaign stop in Atlanta, pushed back on a report Wednesday that linked his wife’s meetings while secretary of state to donors to the Clinton Foundation.

After working the crowd at Manuel’s Tavern, the former president sought to downplay an Associated Press report that found more than half the people outside the government who met with Hillary Clinton at the State Department gave money to the foundation.

“We’re trying to do good things. If there’s something wrong with creating jobs and saving lives, I don’t know what it is,” Bill Clinton said. “The people who gave the money knew exactly what they were doing. I have nothing to say except I’m really proud of the work they’ve done.”

Republican presidenti­al nominee Donald Trump has seized on the report as an indicator of the ethics challenges his Democratic opponent faces, saying she’s made “lie after lie” to cover up breaches. He and his surrogates, including Georgia U.S. Sen. David Perdue, have called for a special prosecutor to investigat­e the meetings as well as the private email server she used as secretary of state.

“Actions speak louder than words, and this is just another example of Hillary Clinton’s questionab­le ethics and integrity,” Perdue said. “Whether you are the secretary of state or want to be the commander in chief, payto-play politics is wrong.”

Clinton’s campaign has said the report was flawed because it didn’t include meetings with foreign diplomats or other U.S. government officials. And Bill Clinton on Wednesday highlighte­d the work the foundation has done targeting childhood obesity and boosting internatio­nal health programs.

He also said that he would not raise money for the foundation if Hillary Clinton wins the November contest and that he would transition any responsibi­lity over foreign or corporate donations to other nonprofits.

“I’m happy to do the transition as swiftly as we can, and we’ve already found partners who are going to take over some of this stuff,” he said. “But we have to do it in a way where no one loses their job, no one loses their income, no one loses their life.”

The visit came ahead of a fundraiser at a north Atlanta home that featured Atlanta artist Usher.

 ?? CURTIS COMPTON / AJC ?? President Bill Clinton says hello to Megan Bartlett and her 3-month-old daughter Hannah Rice, of Decatur, as he works the crowd at historic Manuel’s Tavern on Wednesday during a stop in Atlanta.
CURTIS COMPTON / AJC President Bill Clinton says hello to Megan Bartlett and her 3-month-old daughter Hannah Rice, of Decatur, as he works the crowd at historic Manuel’s Tavern on Wednesday during a stop in Atlanta.

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