Clinton campaign manager: No ‘quid pro quo’ at foundation

Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager says there was no “quid pro quo” to provide favors to donors of the Clinton Foundation.

“There was no quid pro quo or anything like that here,” said Robby Mook on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday, addressing newly released emails that critics say raise questions about the ties between the Clintons’ family foundation and their work in government.

In one email, a Clinton confidant pressed the State Department to help a donor with a matter.

{mosads}“The email in question from Doug Band was coming from his private email account … or his Clinton.com email account. It was not related to the foundation,” said Mook on Sunday.

“The State Department at every step was following all the appropriate protocols. This is someone who had a relationship with the Clintons long before Hillary became secretary of State,” he said about Band, who has long been close to former President Bill Clinton and the foundation.

“This is someone who had a longstanding relationship with the Clintons who wanted to provide some insight to a matter, and obviously the Clintons have staff who facilitate those sorts of communications,” he continued.

Republicans say such emails show that foreign or corporate donors may have had undue influence over Hillary Clinton, now the Democratic presidential nominee, when she was secretary of State.

But the Clintons have denied any wrongdoing, noting that they restricted foreign donations to the family foundation when she was in Obama’s administration.

But questions have persisted, and even prominent Democrats have suggested the foundation needs to change its practices or close shop if Clinton wins the White House.

Last week, Bill Clinton said the foundation would no longer accept foreign or corporate money if his wife becomes president.