A foundation bearing the name of Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), the McCain Institute for International Leadership, has reportedly accepted contributions from left-wing billionaire George Soros and Bill Clinton-linked company Teneo — the latest donor controversy to hit the non-profit.
The Daily Caller reports that the institute accepted donations of as much as $100,000 from Soros and from Teneo — a company co-founded by businessman and Clinton-ally Doug Band — raising concerns of similarities to the controversial Clinton Global Initiative. The Caller notes that Band helped President Clinton pick up well-paid speaking gigs.
The Caller also reports that among the donations to the group is a $100,000 gift from a Moroccan state-run phosphate company operating in the Western Sahara, territory which Morocco seized in 1975 in defiance of United Nations resolutions.
Morocco has been accused of violating human rights and claims that its state-owned companies exploit natural resources and treat its workers inhumanely. But the outlet reports that in 2011, McCain praised the King of Morocco and called the country a “positive example to governments across the Middle East and North Africa.”
It isn’t the first controversy the McCain Institute has run into; Bloomberg reported last year that the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia had given a $1 million donation to the institute. Saudi Arabia has been widely criticized for its poor human rights record.
A spokeswoman for McCain at that time said that, while the 2008 presidential candidate was honored to be associated with the institute, he has no role within it.
“Senator McCain was greatly honored that Arizona State University established an Institute for International Leadership named for him and his family, in recognition of their generations of service to the country in international affairs,” the spokeswoman told ABC15. “Senator McCain holds no position with the McCain Institute for International Leadership at Arizona State University, or with its supporting organizations, and has no role in the governance or operation of the Institute.”
Adam Shaw is a politics reporter for Breitbart News based in New York. Follow Adam on Twitter: @AdamShawNY.
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