Republicans lawmakers on Friday sent out referrals to the FBI, IRS and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) asking that they open investigations into the Clinton Foundation.
The Washington Examiner reports Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn, along with 60 Republican members of the House of Representatives, signed on to the referral letter that was sent to the three federal agencies. The report states the IRS already rejected a similar request sent in May, but Blackburn believes new evidence has now emerged that merits reconsideration. Specifically, the letter cites the Clinton’s Foundation’s dealings with two companies, Laureate International Universities and Uranium One, during Hillary Clinton’s tenure as Secretary of State.
According to the report, Laureate paid Bill Clinton $16.5 million to serve as an “honorary chancellor” and the company donated between $1 million and $5 million to the Clinton Foundation. Shortly thereafter, a nonprofit organization called the International Youth Fund received $55 million in grants from USAID — a branch of the State Department —while Hillary Clinton was serving as Secretary of State. Laureate’s founder, Douglas Becker, sits on the board of the International Youth Fund.
The questions surrounding the relationship with Uranium One stem from then-Secretary of State Clinton’s role in approving the sale of uranium to the Russian-based company. The chairman of Uranium One has donated $2.35 million to the Clinton Foundation, according to the letter.
USA Today obtained a copy of the letter that states, “The appearance of ‘Pay to Play’ transactions involving Laureate and Uranium One also raise serious allegations of criminal conduct requiring further examination.”
FBI Director James Comey during his testimony last week refused to answer whether the FBI was investigating the Clinton Foundation. “I’m not going to comment on the existence or non-existence of any other investigations,” Comey said in response to a question about the issue from Congressman Jason Chaffetz.
The likely GOP presidential nominee, Donald Trump, has made the questions surrounding the Clinton Foundation a key issue during the campaign. During a campaign speech in June, Trump said, “The Clintons have turned the politics of personal enrichment into an art form for themselves.” He also accused the Clintons of making “hundreds of millions of dollars selling access, selling favors, selling government contracts and I mean hundreds of millions of dollars.”
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