Future of Clinton Foundation Hinges on Election

Changes to the way the foundation operates have already begun.

ByABC News
August 23, 2016, 5:11 PM

— -- While Donald Trump's campaign's ties abroad have come into question in recent weeks, he's not alone.

Hillary Clinton's connections between her political life and the global foundation that she and her husband launched are being questioned in light of her presidential bid.

Changes to the way the Clinton Foundation operates have started to emerge in recent days and the extent of those changes depends on the fate of the November election.

Here is a rundown of what is known about the future for the foundation.

What Changes Have Already Happened at the Foundation?

Staff at the Clinton Foundation are working on scaling back operations and handing off a number of its ongoing programs to other organizations that can help continue the efforts that the foundation started, according to foundation officials.

The specifics of these plans have not been publicly disclosed.

Those discussions started happening in early February, one month after the Democratic primaries began, a foundation official told ABC News.

Why Not Just Stop Some of the Foundation Work Now?

Clinton campaign spokesman Brian Fallon defended the continued work of the foundation on MSNBC this morning.

"Based on its work, you have 11.5 million people in the developing world that have gained access to HIV/AIDS drugs, the cost of malaria drugs has gone down 80 to 90 percent. And the Clintons do not personally draw a salary or profit from the work of the foundation," he said.

Fallon said that the steps that are being taken to lessen the foundation's reach are "not taken lightly" because it is "going to drastically curtail" the "life-saving" programs that it has invested in.

PHOTO: In this June 10, 2015 file photo, former U.S. President Bill Clinton speaks at annual gathering of the Clinton Global Initiative America, which is a part of The Clinton Foundation, in Denver.
In this June 10, 2015 file photo, former U.S. President Bill Clinton speaks at annual gathering of the Clinton Global Initiative America, which is a part of The Clinton Foundation, in Denver.

Will Bill Clinton Be a Part of the Foundation If Hillary Wins in November?

Bill Clinton announced Monday that he will no longer raise money for the foundation should his wife win in November.

The former president said that it would be presumptive to assume a November win, but officials for his foundation say that talks about protocol changes have been ongoing 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," Bill Clinton wrote in a letter sent to supporters via email on Monday.

A spokesperson for Chelsea Clinton told ABC News that she will remain on the board regardless of the election results.

PHOTO: Hillary Rodham Clinton and daughter Chelsea Clinton, Vice Chair of the Clinton Foundation, address the 2015 Meeting of Clinton Global Initiative University, on March 7, 2015, in Coral Gables, Florida.
Hillary Rodham Clinton, Former U.S. Secretary of State and U.S. Senator from New York, and her daughter Chelsea Clinton, Vice Chair of the Clinton Foundation, address the 2015 Meeting of Clinton Global Initiative University at the University of Miami, on March 7, 2015, in Coral Gables, Florida.

What Other Changes to the Foundation Will There Be If Hillary Wins?

One of the major sources of revenue for the foundation will be cut off. Spokespeople from the foundation said that it would end all foreign contributions.

Instead, the foundation will only accept contributions from U.S. citizens and independent charities.

Not all changes will be behind the scenes, however.

It has already been announced that Bill and Chelsea Clinton will not fundraise for the foundation if Hillary Clinton is in office.

When Hillary Clinton became secretary of state, she stopped fundraising for the foundation, and presumably will adopt a similar stance should she be elected.

What Happens to the Foundation If Hillary Loses?

Presumably nothing, but neither foundation officials nor campaign spokespeople have directly addressed that.

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