Bill Clinton Outlines Potential Changes to Foundation

ByMATTHEW CLAIBORNE ABCNews logo
Monday, August 22, 2016

Not long after Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump released a statement calling the Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation "the most corrupt enterprise in political history" and demanding it be shut down, former President Clinton said he will step down from the board should his wife be elected.

The former president also announced Monday that he will no longer raise money for the foundation should his wife in the event of a Clinton win in November. A spokesperson for Chelsea Clinton tells ABC News that she will remain on the board regardless of the election results.

In his letter, sent via email to supporters today, President Clinton admitted that it would be presumptive to assume a November win, but officials for his foundation say that talks about protocol changes have been occurring since February.

"If Hillary is elected president, the Foundation's work, funding, global reach, and my role in it will present questions that must be resolved in a way that keeps the good work going while eliminating legitimate concerns about potential conflicts of interest," wrote Clinton.

In a meeting with foundation staff last week, Clinton told staff that the organization would no longer accept foreign or corporate donations if Hillary Clinton is elected and that the final Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) meeting will be next month.

But his letter today went a step further -- with the former president writing that his foundation will only accept contributions from U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and U.S.-based independent foundations.

He also noted that the official name of the charity will change from the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation to the Clinton Foundation. Clinton also said he will step down from the board of the Clinton Health Access Initiative, the largest program of the Clinton Foundation, in addition to the general board of the foundation.

The former president listed a slew of initiatives pioneered by the foundation, including improved access to HIV/AIDS medication worldwide and sustainable farming, among many others.

At times, President Clinton appears emotional in his writing, reminiscing about intimate moments with the people he's met while traveling the world on behalf of his charity. He recalled holding a healthy baby who is alive because of greater access to AIDS medicine and planting seeds alongside farmers in Malawi.

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