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Clinton Foundation Ends CGI, Changes Foreign Gift Acceptance

The annual Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) conference slated for next month will be the Clinton Foundation’s last, regardless of whether Hillary Clinton is elected president this fall.

Additional changes revealed yesterday would occur should Hillary Clinton win the presidency: The foundation would no longer accept contributions from any foreign government and former President Bill Clinton would no longer give paid speeches.

The Associated Press reported that Bill Clinton made the announcement to staff during a meting yesterday.

Democrat Hillary Clinton leads Republican Donald Trump in most national polls with less than three months before November’s election. Hillary Clinton stepped down from the foundation’s board before announcing her candidacy. Bill and daughter Chelsea remain on the board.

The CGI convenes leaders in business, government and entertainment and is scheduled to take place Sept. 19-21 in New York City. This year’s theme will be “Partnering for Global Prosperity.” CGI America, a separate conference first held in 2011, focuses on developing solutions that encourage continued economic growth, support long-term competitiveness, and increase social mobility in the United States. The most recent conference convened in Atlanta, Ga., in June.

The William J. Clinton Foundation was founded in 2001 and the Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation in 2012. The foundation has come under criticism for accepting donations from foreign governments after Hillary Clinton’s tenure as secretary of state from 2009 to 2013.

Last fall, the foundation filed amended tax returns for the years 2010 through 2013 because of possible errors in reporting contributions from foreign governments. It also filed amended returns for 2012 and 2013 for the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), formerly the Clinton HIV/AIDS Initiative.

The amendments were related to government grants and contributions, revenue from speeches, changes to Schedule B (Schedule of Contributors, any contribution of greater than $5,000) and listing of related entities. Government grants were incorrectly combined with all other contributions for the three years.

CHAI reported total revenue of $117 million in 2014 while the foundation reported revenue of $149 million. On a consolidated basis, the foundation reported revenue of $234 million that year.