Clinton Foundation Took Cash from Wells Fargo

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton is joining the attack against Wells Fargo, which was fined $185 million by the federal government for opening new accounts for customers without their consent, and then charging them fees.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) is leading the charge, but Clinton is trying to use the issue to her advantage, writing an open letter to Wells Fargo customers promising to take action.

However, the Clinton Foundation has taken large sums from Wells Fargo.

Last year, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that the Wells Fargo Foundation had given between $100,000 and $250,000 to the Clinton Foundation. The Huffington Post adds:

Wells Fargo, both the bank and its foundation, have given generously to the Clinton Foundation over the years. The bank has given between $10,001 and $25,000, and the foundation has given between $100,001 To $250,000. In 2011, former President Bill Clinton gave a speech to Wells Fargo for $200,000.

“This is classic Hillary Clinton: publicly criticizing a company because it’s good politics while the Clinton Foundation quietly accepts hundreds of thousands of dollars from that same company,” said Jeff Bechdel, communications director of the conservative America Rising PAC. “If Clinton truly meant what she wrote, her letter would have been accompanied by a check from her family foundation returning the money from the company she is hypocritically complaining about.”

Thus far, there is no indication that the Clintons intend to return the money to Wells Fargo.

Clinton’s rival during the primary campaign, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), pressed her to release the transcripts of her speeches to other Wall Street banks. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has reiterated that call. Clinton has not complied.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News. His new book, See No Evil: 19 Hard Truths the Left Can’t Handle, is available from Regnery through Amazon. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.