NYT Editorial: Clinton Must Make Foundation Fixes Now

The Clinton Foundation continues to generate bad headlines for Hillary Clinton, and a New York Times editorial calls on her to more aggressively cut ties to it now, not after the election. A newly released batch of emails does not show that Clinton doled out special favors as secretary of state to well-heeled donors, but it illustrates the conflicts of interest the foundation presents, write the editors. The Clintons have said they plan to stop accepting foreign and corporate donations if she is elected, but the editorial argues it's not enough. "A wiser course would be to ban contributions from foreign and corporate entities now," it says.

"If Mrs. Clinton wins, Bill and Chelsea Clinton should both end their operational involvement in the foundation and its affiliates for the duration of her presidency, relinquishing any control over spending, hiring and board appointments." The foundation does much good around the world, and closing it would be wrong, the editorial adds. But "achieving true distance from the foundation is not only necessary to ensure its effectiveness, it is an ethical imperative for Mrs. Clinton." Click for the full editorial. Meanwhile, team Trump is crowing that this admonishment by the "liberal New York Times" is "a devastating rebuke of Hillary Clinton’s poor judgment and broken ethical compass," per Politico. (More Clinton Foundation stories.)