• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Why did a $154 billion CEO just endorse stripping most Americans of voting rights—and taking us back to the 19th century?

2

New York City women are making up to $30,000 per month by renting out their closets to strangers

3

A Nobel economist challenged Elon Musk to donate his entire $1T fortune by 2036. Musk's reply: 'I am actually going to do something along these lines'

1

Why did a $154 billion CEO just endorse stripping most Americans of voting rights—and taking us back to the 19th century?

2

New York City women are making up to $30,000 per month by renting out their closets to strangers

3

A Nobel economist challenged Elon Musk to donate his entire $1T fortune by 2036. Musk's reply: 'I am actually going to do something along these lines'
Leadership

New Clinton Emails Suggest Aides Intervened on Behalf of Donors

By
Sam Frizell
Sam Frizell
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Sam Frizell
Sam Frizell
Down Arrow Button Icon
August 10, 2016, 4:18 PM ET
Democratic Nominee for President of the United States former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
LAS VEGAS, NV - With US Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) accompanying, Democratic Nominee for President of the United States former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks to and meets voters during a rally in Las Vegas, Nevada on Thursday August 4, 2016.Photograph by Melina Mara — The Washington Post via Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

A new batch of emails released on Tuesday appear to show that Hillary Clinton and her aides at the State Department sought to intervene on two occasions on behalf of donors to her philanthropic efforts and her 2008 campaign.

The emails, revealed by the conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch, suggest that aides sought to connect a prominent Clinton Foundation donor with a U.S. ambassador, and in another instance assisted an associate of a 2008 campaign donor in finding a position at the State Department.

The Clinton Foundation has been a tempting target for watchdogs and conservatives. The dizzying web of connections between foreign nationals, political stakeholders, prominent businesspeople and philanthropies and power make much of the Foundation’s business appear suspect by association. But the line between fair business and impropriety is often hard to find.

There is no clear evidence that the donors were ultimately rewarded with special access, but it is clear that Clinton and her aides said they would act on their behalf.

The Clinton campaign denied the emails showed any wrongdoing. “The right-wing organization behind this lawsuit has been attacking the Clintons since the 1990s and no matter how this group tries to mischaracterize these documents, the fact remains that Hillary Clinton never took action as Secretary of State because of donations to the Clinton Foundation,” said Josh Schwerin, a Clinton campaign spokesman.

About 44 of the emails were not part of the 55,000 pages of work-related emails Clinton has said she turned over to the State Department, according to Judicial Watch.

In one newly released email exchange from 2009, Clinton Foundation official Doug Band asked the State Department to assist Gilbert Chagoury, a top donor to the Foundation. “We need Gilbert chagoury to speak to the substance person re lebanon,” Band said in an email. Huma Abedin, a top Clinton aide, offered to connect Chagoury with Jeff Feltman, the U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon at the time. “Ill talk to jeff,” she replied. “This is very important,” replied Band. Chagoury has donated between $1 million and $5 million to the Clinton Foundation, according to the philanthropy’s records, and is a friend of Bill Clinton.

Feltman told the Washington Post that he was never contacted by Chagoury and “no one ever told me he was seeking me out.”

A Clinton campaign aide denied that Chougary was seeking influence at the State Department. “Mr. Chougary, who is of Lebanese descent, was simply seeking to share his insights on the upcoming Lebanese election with the right person at the Department of State for whom this information might be helpful,” said a campaign aide. “In seeking to provide information, he was not seeking action by the Department.”

Much of the correspondence has been redacted by the State Department. In early 2009, a donor to Clinton’s 2008 campaign, Lana Moresky, asked Clinton directly for help finding an associate a job at the State Department. “Dear Hillary,” she wrote. “Just wanted to let you know that [redacted] has a resume in… I was hoping you might intervene to make sure [redacted] was taken seriously and considered for a proper responsible position.” Clinton forwarded the note and asked an aide to “followup.” In the 2016 cycle, Moresky has helped Clinton raise more than $100,000 for her presidential campaign, according to a list maintained by the Clinton campaign.

In another exchange from 2009, Band appears to ask Clinton’s aides to connect a person connected to the Foundation with a position at the State Department. “Personnel has been sending him options,” Abedin replied. The Clinton campaign aide said that the person was a “young advance staffer” who was not a donor or a Foundation employee, however.

Since Hillary Clinton left the State Department, her family’s philanthropy has been the target of thousands of newspaper articles, a highly publicized book containing years of research and a documentary. The hundred of pages of emails build on what the family’s critics see as a long trail of accusations and unseemly connections between the Clinton charity and the Clinton State Department.

At another time in this election cycle, Tuesday’s revelations found in the emails might have been more damaging to Clinton. But the news was buried in a cavalcade of bad news for Donald Trump: a prominent Republican Senator said she would not vote for Donald Trump, and 50 veteran GOP officials said Trump would put the nation’s security “at risk.” At almost the same time the emails were released, Trump made a comment about gun owners that dominated cable news.

Trump, however was quick to try to shift the attention to the new email release. “BREAKING,” he wrote in a Facebook post with a link to a news article about the emails. “Crooked Hillary Clinton put the State Department up for sale, with top aides pulling strings and doing favors for fat-cat donors to the Clinton Foundation.”

About the Author
By Sam Frizell
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Leadership

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

Latest in Leadership

Worker in a full cleanroom suit uses a wafer manufacturing tool.
SuccessCareers
South Korean teens are skipping degrees for semiconductor school—they’re landing six-figure jobs at 17 while their friends regret going to college
By Preston ForeJuly 28, 2026
1 hour ago
Stressed rich Gen Zer looks at laptop
SuccessCost of living
Despite making over $135K, 1 in 5 high-earners feel ‘depressed’ when thinking about their finances—they may have ‘money dysmorphia’
By Emma BurleighJuly 28, 2026
2 hours ago
arnault
C-SuiteLVMH
Bernard Arnault is denying a family rift—and any kind of real-life Succession. LVMH earnings tell a stranger story
By Mia OsmonbekovJuly 28, 2026
2 hours ago
A smartphone displaying the logo of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation (BNY) in front of a BNY brand background.
AICFO Daily
BNY skipped the ‘tokenmaxxing’ craze. Here’s what AI metrics it tracks instead
By Sheryl EstradaJuly 28, 2026
5 hours ago
kfc
RetailAuction
‘He did wear clip-ons’: KFC founder Colonel Sanders’ pressure cooker, bow ties, former home up for auction
By Dylan Lovan and The Associated PressJuly 28, 2026
5 hours ago
infantino
North AmericaWorld Cup
FIFA Chief Infantino lashes out at critics ‘consumed by hate and criticism’ who spread ‘hate and false rumors’
By Graham Dunbar and The Associated PressJuly 28, 2026
6 hours ago

Most Popular

Why did a $154 billion CEO just endorse stripping most Americans of voting rights—and taking us back to the 19th century?
C-Suite
Why did a $154 billion CEO just endorse stripping most Americans of voting rights—and taking us back to the 19th century?
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 27, 2026
1 day ago
New York City women are making up to $30,000 per month by renting out their closets to strangers
Retail
New York City women are making up to $30,000 per month by renting out their closets to strangers
By Sarah GlodekJuly 27, 2026
1 day ago
A Nobel economist challenged Elon Musk to donate his entire $1T fortune by 2036. Musk's reply: 'I am actually going to do something along these lines'
Success
A Nobel economist challenged Elon Musk to donate his entire $1T fortune by 2036. Musk's reply: 'I am actually going to do something along these lines'
By Sydney LakeJuly 27, 2026
20 hours ago
The millennial generation is split in 2: an older crowd with boomer-style comfort, a younger set going 'back to the early 1900s'
Real Estate
The millennial generation is split in 2: an older crowd with boomer-style comfort, a younger set going 'back to the early 1900s'
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 25, 2026
3 days ago
Current price of silver as of Monday, July 27, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of silver as of Monday, July 27, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 27, 2026
1 day ago
I've been teaching college students for decades. Most of them can no longer finish a book
Commentary
I've been teaching college students for decades. Most of them can no longer finish a book
By Austin SaratJuly 26, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.