Report: Bill Clinton used tax money on foundation, email server

Former President Bill Clinton’s staff spent taxpayer money subsidizing the Clinton Foundation, an associated business and Hillary Clinton’s private email server, according to a new report.

The funds supplemented the benefits and pay of several foundation aides and purchased some of the organization’s IT equipment, Politico said Thursday.

{mosads}Politico said it obtained records from the General Services Administration (GSA) detailing the spending through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.

The transactions do not reveal illegal activity, it said, but do raise new questions about the ties between the Clinton Foundation and Hillary Clinton’s time as secretary of State.

Politico said Bill Clinton’s staff directed the spending of tax dollars allocated by the GSA using the Former Presidents Act, which authorizes the GSA to provide funding for pensions, correspondence, support staff and travel for ex-presidents.

Politico’s analysis found that he drew more cash than any other former president, with representatives requesting allocations totaling $16 million.

The program supplemented the income of his staff, it said, lifting pressure off Clinton-linked entities.

Politico added that scrutiny of GSA records and Clinton Foundation tax returns found that at least 13 of the 22 staffers paid by the GSA to work in Bill Clinton’s office also worked at the Clinton Foundation.

An aide to Bill Clinton told Politico that the former president’s use of the GSA program is consistent with the past use of the Former Presidents Act.

“There is no legal prohibition that would preclude the former president’s staff from receiving compensation from other sources or doing personal work for the former president,” the aide said. “We are unaware of any legal prohibition that would preclude these activities.”

Critics say the Clinton Foundation presents a major conflict of interest for Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee.

Bill Clinton announced last month that he would step down from his family’s charitable organization should his wife win in November.

The Clinton Foundation also revealed in August that it would no longer accept corporate or foreign donations in the event of a Hillary Clinton presidency.