--- description: Former President Bill Clinton said some donors may have given to the Clinton Foundation in an effort to curry favor with the power couple. title: Bill Clinton: Some People Probably Gave to Foundation to Gain Influence image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt567dd81a4ad4aaf2/6988a6a7cf40a8b7afc44de4/gettyimages-605721264.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Politics](/section/politics/) ## Politics Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [2016 Election](/tag/2016-election/) ## 2016 Election Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Bill Clinton Says Some People Probably Gave to Foundation to Gain Influence by [Maya Rhodan](/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 19, 2016 2:22 PM CUT  Former U.S. President Bill Clinton speaks at a campaign event for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton at a College of Southern Nevada campus on September 14, 2016 in North Las Vegas, Nevada. Ethan Miller—Getty Images Former U.S. President Bill Clinton speaks at a campaign event for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton at a College of Southern Nevada campus on September 14, 2016 in North Las Vegas, Nevada. Ethan Miller—Getty ImagesEthan Miller—Getty Images by [Maya Rhodan](/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 19, 2016 2:22 PM CUT Former President Bill Clinton conceded in a new interview that [some donors may have given to the Clinton Foundation](http://www.npr.org/2016/09/19/494514113/bill-clinton-its-hard-to-think-about-leaving-foundation?ft=nprml&f=2,3,46 "undefined") in an effort to curry favor with the political power couple. “It was natural for people who’ve been our political allies and personal friends to call and ask for things. And I trusted the State Department wouldn’t do anything they shouldn’t do,” Clinton said in an interview with[ _NPR._](http://www.npr.org/2016/09/19/494514113/bill-clinton-its-hard-to-think-about-leaving-foundation?ft=nprml&f=2,3,46 "undefined") Clinton said donors did not receive anything improper from him or Hillary Clinton. The foundation has been at the center of a number of questions about the Clinton family throughout the campaign. In an effort to curb further questions of conflict of interest, the former president announced in August he would step down from the board of the foundation if Hillary Clinton is elected president. The foundation would also stop accepting money from corporate and foreign entities. This week, Clinton will also host the final meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative, which brings stakeholders together to find solutions to global issues. “I’ve had this job longer than I ever had any job, and I’ve loved it,” Clinton said. “And, you know, we always say in response to our critics that nobody in my family ever took a penny out of this foundation and put millions of dollars in. But I would have paid more to do this job. It was the most fun thing I’ve ever done.” [Read more at NPR ](http://www.npr.org/2016/09/19/494514113/bill-clinton-its-hard-to-think-about-leaving-foundation?ft=nprml&f=2,3,46 "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4499220/bill-clinton-hillary-foundation-influence/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4499220/bill-clinton-hillary-foundation-influence/"},"headline":"Bill Clinton Says Some People Probably Gave to Foundation to Gain Influence","datePublished":"2016-09-19T14:22:07.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T00:40:55.813Z","description":"\"Nobody in my family ever took a penny out of this foundation\"","url":"https://time.com/4499220/bill-clinton-hillary-foundation-influence/","keywords":["2016 Election","2016 Election topic","Charity","Clinton","Presidents","Bill Clinton","Election 2016"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt567dd81a4ad4aaf2/6988a6a7cf40a8b7afc44de4/gettyimages-605721264.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Maya Rhodan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt567dd81a4ad4aaf2/6988a6a7cf40a8b7afc44de4/gettyimages-605721264.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Former President Bill Clinton Campaigns For Democratic Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton In Vegas Area","caption":"Former President Bill Clinton Campaigns For Democratic Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton In Vegas Area","creditText":"Ethan Miller—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/2016-election/","name":"2016 Election"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4499220/bill-clinton-hillary-foundation-influence/","name":"Bill Clinton Says Some People Probably Gave to Foundation to Gain Influence"}}]}] ```