Clinton Foundation a 'slush fund' - lands on watchlist of shady charities

You really don't need to see all the numbers to know that there's something fishy about the Clinton Foundation.

You don't need to know that there were "mistakes" in its tax filings, nor do you need to know that it had failed to properly disclose donors. Heck, you don't even to have read the allegations of influence peddling in exchange for donations. All you really need to know is that the Clintons run it. If you know who they are, and have some understanding of their history, that should be enough to make you suspicious. However, if you count yourself among the rapidly dwindling numbers of the Clinton faithful, the New York Post has some bad news for you. The Clinton Foundation sounds about as shady as sane people have suspected.

The Clinton family’s mega-charity took in more than $140 million in grants and pledges in 2013 but spent just $9 million on direct aid. ....In all, the group reported $84.6 million in “functional expenses” on its 2013 tax return and had more than $64 million left over — money the organization has said represents pledges rather than actual cash on hand.

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Some of the tens of millions in administrative costs finance more than 2,000 employees, including aid workers and health professionals around the world. But that’s still far below the 75 percent rate of spending that nonprofit experts say a good charity should spend on its mission. "Far below" is putting it mildly. Reporting $140 million in grants and pledges - and then spending a little over 6% of that on actual aid - has raised more than a few eyebrows. In fact, prominent charity watchdogs have now decided that the Foundation is "problematic" and have added it to their watchlist.

Charity Navigator, which rates nonprofits, recently refused to rate the Clinton Foundation because its “atypical business model . . . doesn’t meet our criteria.” Charity Navigator put the foundation on its “watch list,” which warns potential donors about investing in problematic charities. The 23 charities on the list include the Rev. Al Sharpton’s troubled National Action Network, which is cited for failing to pay payroll taxes for several years.

Well, at least we can assume it's roughly as legitimate as Al Sharpton's shakedown operation, right? We're sure the Clintons take great pride in the notion that the people who monitor charities think their organization is just as well respected as a group run by a former FBI informant and MSNBC race-hustler who owes millions in back taxes. Actually, scratch that. These are the Clintons. As long as they get to enjoy the spoils of their dubious activities, they don't care what anyone thinks. So, if the money isn't really going to aid, where is it going?

“It seems like the Clinton Foundation operates as a slush fund for the Clintons,” said Bill Allison, a senior fellow at the Sunlight Foundation, a government watchdog group where progressive Democrat and Fordham Law professor Zephyr Teachout was once an organizing director.

Color us shocked.