The emails show how the lines between the foundation and State Department were blurred while Clinton was secretary of State.
- Another day, another Hillary Clinton email disclosure: More messages to be released
- Bill Clinton will leave namesake foundation if Hillary is elected president
- Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid challenges Donald Trump to take a U.S. citizenship test
- Mike Pence laughs at Trump’s prediction of 95% African American support in 2020
Clinton jokes about health conspiracy theories at start of California trip
Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton on Monday poked at Republicans for questioning her health during an appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” pretending to exert great effort as she opened a jar of pickles and asking the host to check her pulse.
Clinton dismissed the attacks as “wacky” and noted that critics had claimed she “would be dead in six months,” she said. “So with every breath I take I feel like I have a new lease on life.”
Kimmel put his hand to Clinton’s pulse point on her wrist and exclaimed, “Oh, my God, there’s nothing there!”
The jokes came as conservative websites, Donald Trump and some Trump supporters, notably former New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, have questioned Clinton’s physical fitness for office during the presidential campaign.
Clinton’s personal physician has affirmed that she is healthy.
Late-night television talk shows are a mainstay for presidential candidates, and Clinton used her appearance on Kimmel’s show to joke about the ongoing scandal over her use of private email and a private server in her home basement while secretary of State. On Monday, a federal judge ordered that an additional 15,000 emails would be released before the general election in November.
Kimmel asked Clinton whether she wished she could spend more time with her young grandchildren rather than campaigning, and the nominee responded that it would be more difficult without FaceTime.
Kimmel asked Clinton, “Have you considered using FaceTime instead of email?”
Clinton responded, “I think that’s actually really good advice.”
The pair also discussed the first presidential debate, scheduled for late September in New York.
“I’m planning on drawing off my experiences from elementary school,” Clinton said, after asking for Kimmel’s advice on debate prep.
Clinton is in California for a series of fundraisers, including one Monday evening at the home of Magic Johnson, where 500 guests spent between $2,700 and $27,000 or more to attend.
Trump cancels immigration speech as questions swirl about whether he is softening his stance
As questions swirled about whether Donald Trump was moderating his views on immigration in a general election pivot, the GOP presidential nominee canceled a major speech about his immigration policy scheduled for this week.
Trump supporters in Colorado, where the speech was to take place Thursday, were informed about the cancellation via email. “The speech [Trump] was planning on giving is still being modified,” the email said, according to the Denver Post.
The news comes after a weekend of speculation that Trump, who has staked his presidential run on a hard-line approach to immigration, was softening his views as he courts minority and moderate Republican voters he needs to support him in November.
On Saturday, Trump met with Latino advisors, and BuzzFeed reported that he told them he was seeking a “humane” way to deal with 11 million people in the country illegally.
On Sunday, Trump’s campaign manager was asked whether he would still create a deportation force to remove immigrants in the U.S. illegally, a promise he has made frequently throughout the campaign. “To be determined,” said Kellyanne Conway.
Trump said Monday that the BuzzFeed report was inaccurate and pushed back at the notion that he is altering his views.
“I’m not flip-flopping,” Trump said on Fox News. “We want to come up with a fair but firm process. Fair but firm.”
He did not provide specifics or elaborate.
Another day, another Clinton email disclosure: More messages to be released
Hillary Clinton’s emails are the gift that keeps on giving for her critics on the right.
Each week seems to bring another embarrassing disclosure and another reminder to Republicans that if they had a nominee not bogged down by his own problems, the emails could be a more potent political weapon.
On Monday, the conservative group Judicial Watch, which had sued the State Department seeking Clinton’s emails from her time there, released a fresh batch of messages disclosed as a result of its legal action. The emails shed yet more light on how the lines between Clinton’s work at State and her fundraising for the Clinton Foundation could get blurred.
One such email involved setting up a meeting with the crown prince of Bahrain, whose donations to the foundation would eventually total more than $32 million. “Good friend of ours,” is how a foundation executive described him in an email to Huma Abedin, one of Clinton’s top advisors. There was talk of trying to arrange the meeting through “official channels.” But the foundation executive was lobbying for it separately on behalf of the donor -- and he ultimately succeeded in getting the prince on Clinton’s calendar.
Clinton campaign officials said the exchange was hardly revealing, arguing there was nothing inappropriate about the meeting or the way it was arranged. But they will be dealing with many more similar questions in the coming weeks, with the potential of thousands of new documents getting released. Despite earlier assurances from Clinton and the State Department that all work-related emails from her time in the Obama administration have been disclosed, the FBI revealed in its investigation there are thousands more. They are within a batch of 14,900 documents the FBI turned over to the State Department. The agency told a judge Monday that it plans to start releasing those documents in mid-October, just weeks before the Nov. 8 election.
The judge signaled that such a timetable may be unacceptable and that he may order the department begin releasing the newly discovered messages sooner.
Clinton was dealt an earlier setback Friday when another judge ruled that Judicial Watch may question her as part of its legal action. Clinton has been directed to answer written questions from the group.
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FOR THE RECORD
Aug. 25, 11:20 a.m.: This post incorrectly states that the crown prince of Bahrain had donated $32 million to the Clinton Foundation. Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa pledged the money to an international scholarship program f0r Bahraini students that he funds, not to the Clinton Foundation. The foundation cites the prince’s charity on its website as a success of its “Commitment to Action” program.
Bill Clinton says he will leave Clinton Foundation if Hillary is elected president
Bill Clinton will step down from the board of the family’s namesake foundation if Hillary Clinton is elected president, he announced Monday.
In an open letter, Clinton wrote that if his wife wins the election, he would stop fundraising for the Clinton Foundation and that the foundation would only accept donations from U.S. citizens.
“Since Hillary began her presidential campaign in 2015, Chelsea and I have made it clear that the work the Clinton Foundation started should continue if Hillary is elected, but that changes would be necessary,” he wrote. “While it would be presumptive to assume a victory in November, now that Hillary is her party’s nominee, it would be irresponsible not to plan for it.”
The foundation relies on the Clinton’s vast network of connections to fund charitable work in the developing world, but it has come under scrutiny during the presidential race over questions about possible ties between donors and activities at the the State Department under Clinton.
The letter comes as Donald Trump repeated his call for the foundation to be shut down and return the donations it took from foreigners and governments outside the U.S.
A colossal bundle of cash draws Clinton to California
Donald Trump is faltering so badly on the campaign trail that it was suggested recently by Democratic political mastermind David Axelrod that Hillary Clinton might as well just disappear for a while and go on a tour of the national parks.
But Clinton has decided a tour of California would be far more lucrative.
Clinton is substantially easing her campaign schedule in the coming days to rub elbows with the stars and other deep-pocketed donors during fundraisers at the country’s most exclusive vacation retreats and communities.
Some of the biggest money will be raised over the next couple of days in California, where Clinton is arriving fresh off an East Coast swing through Cape Cod, Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard.
On Monday night, Clinton will be in the most moneyed ZIP codes in Los Angeles, hopping from the home of basketball legend Magic Johnson to the Beverly Hills estate of entertainment mogul Haim Saban – both big time supporters and fundraisers for the Democratic nominee. At the events, she will likely bump into such Hollywood big shots as Jeffrey Katzenberg, Casey Wasserman and Bob Iger, all also big donors.
Just getting in the door to the cocktail reception at the Johnson home costs $2,700 per person. Those who wish to continue to the Saban home, where dinner will be served, must spend $100,000 for a pair of “host” tickets. Those who do will also have an opportunity to have their photo snapped with the candidate.
Clinton was dealt a slight setback when Leonardo DiCaprio had to back out of his plan to host a fundraiser because of a filming obligation. No worries. The Clintons always seem to have an endless cache of stars ready to pitch in. This time, Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel were standing by to help the candidate raise an eye-popping amount of cash. Tickets for the lunch they are hosting come with a price tag of $33,400.
Clinton will also be dropping in to Laguna Beach for a pair of fundraisers.
By Tuesday night, Clinton will jet off to collect yet more checks in that other California region where money also seems to grow on trees for Democratic nominees, the Bay Area. The events there include a reception cohosted by Apple CEO Tim Cook and company Vice President Lisa Jackson, a former Environmental Protection Agency administrator, and another event at the home of big name in tech, Amy Rao.
The two-day California swing alone will raise many millions of dollars for Clinton, as the candidate who pledges to get money out of politics races to raise $1 billion for the general election. According to an Associated Press report, Clinton’s finance director recently informed campaign staff that the operation is halfway to that goal.
Harry Reid to Donald Trump: Take a U.S. citizenship test
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid has challenged Donald Trump to take a U.S. citizenship test in response to Trump’s immigration policies and proposals.
In a tongue-in-cheek form on his website, Reid told Trump to “put up or shut up” when it comes to immigration.
“Immigrants already face vigorous testing before gaining citizenship,” the form reads. “And before Donald Trump makes it even harder for these hardworking people to achieve their American Dream, he should prove he can pass the test himself.”
Reid, who is retiring from the Senate, has campaigned for Clinton in his home state of Nevada. He told reporters earlier this month that he thinks Clinton stands a chance of winning Arizona and Georgia – traditionally Republican states – in the general election.
Mike Pence laughs at Donald Trump’s prediction of 95% African American support by 2020
Donald Trump’s running mate laughed at his recent assertion that he would have 95% of support from African Americans by the year 2020 during an interview aired Monday.
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence laughed when Fox News’ Ainsley Earhardt mentioned the percentage, saying, “Well, that’s Donald Trump.”
“Look, he has a heart for every American,” Pence continued. “He speaks the truth. It’s been the failed policies of Democrat politicians that have harmed people living in the cities in this country now for generations, and it’s had special impact on the African American community.”
Trump’s push for African American voters has largely focused on jobs creation. He told supporters at a rally in Michigan last week that, “America must reject the bigotry of Hillary Clinton, who sees communities of color only as votes, not as human beings worthy of a better future.”
In some states, Trump is polling at 0% with African American voters.
Watch more of the Mike Pence interview below:
Clinton promises to visit Louisiana when a campaign won’t ‘disrupt’ flooding response
Hillary Clinton will visit Louisiana to meet with victims of floods that ravaged part of the state when she is confident she won’t distract from relief efforts, she said in a statement Monday.
“I have called on supporters of this campaign to give what they can to the Red Cross, to bring much-needed aid and supplies to the more than 100,000 people affected by the floods,” Clinton said in a statement. “I am committed to visiting communities affected by these floods, at a time when the presence of a political campaign will not disrupt the response, to discuss how we can and will rebuild together.”
Donald Trump and running mate Mike Pence visited Louisiana last week to meet with residents displaced by the flooding and to donate supplies.
President Obama was scheduled to visit Louisiana on Tuesday to assess the damage. He came under fire last week from critics who complained that he was choosing vacation over a tour of flooding-damaged areas that would have highlighted the plight of victims.
Donald Trump: Shut down the Clinton Foundation and return donations
Donald Trump repeated his full-throated call Monday for the Clinton Foundation to shut down and demanded that it return donations from countries at odds with American policies and values.
Asked whether he thought the foundation was likely to return its donations, Trump implied that it wouldn’t, saying of the Clintons, “They’re very greedy people.” He offered no evidence.
In a statement, Trump added, “The Clintons have spent decades as insiders lining their own pockets and taking care of donors instead of the American people,” calling the foundation “the most corrupt enterprise in political history.”
The relationship between the Clinton Foundation and the State Department has come under scrutiny throughout Clinton’s campaign. Published reports highlighted a connection between donations to the foundation and moves made by the State Department during Clinton’s tenure as secretary of State.
Trump may be looking for a practical route on mass deportation, ex-campaign manager says
While weighing his stance on deporting nearly 11 million people in the U.S. illegally, Donald Trump may be taking practicality into consideration, his former campaign manager said Monday.
Trump aides alluded over the weekend to the possibility that he might soften his harsh stance on mass deportation. But former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski argued that rather than a change in viewpoint, Trump might simply be looking at the logistics of such a massive undertaking.
“What he’s hearing from the Hispanic community is ... how do we do it?” Lewandowski said on CNN, where he has worked as a commentator since Trump fired him in June.
Lewandowski said Trump’s suggestions that the government “round up” people in the country illegally seems “fair and humane,” but that immigration enforcement agencies aren’t up to the task.
“You have to actually put a system in place to first and foremost identify who those 11-plus-million people are,” Lewandowski said.
Colin Powell: Clinton aides are trying to ‘pin’ her use of private email on me
Former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell accused Hillary Clinton’s campaign of trying to “pin” her widely criticized use of a private email server on him.
“Her people have been trying to pin it on me,” he said at an in event in New York City on Saturday, according to People magazine.
Clinton’s use of a private server to conduct government business while secretary of State has been the subject of lawsuits and government investigations since it came to light last year. It has also cost her with voters, who have cited it in polls as a factor for giving her negative marks on trustworthiness and honesty.
Clinton, interviewed by the FBI in their investigation into whether sensitive information was mishandled, suggested that Powell encouraged her to use a private email account to speed up communication in the department. But Powell recalls explicitly telling her in an email not to use it for classified information and said her timeline was off.
“She was using [the private email server] for a year before I sent her a memo telling her what I did,” Powell said.
What a difference a day makes
Trump courts Latinos, says African Americans will support him in future
He has said that Democrats take black voters for granted and have ignored their needs while governing cities with large African American populations.
“America must reject the bigotry of Hillary Clinton, who sees communities of color only as votes, not as human beings worthy of a better future,” Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, said of his Democratic opponent at a rally in Michigan on Friday.
After waging a yearlong campaign marked by divisive and racially coded rhetoric, Trump reached out to African Americans several times last week.
He insisted at rallies in Wisconsin, North Carolina and Michigan that he would do a better job than Clinton at creating jobs and improving schools for black families.
Donald Trump ‘wrestling’ with how — and whether — to deport 11 million people from U.S.
A day after Donald Trump met with a group of Latino supporters, top aides suggested Sunday that the GOP presidential nominee may be reconsidering his signature campaign promise to round up and deport 11 million people who are in the country illegally.
His new campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, was asked on CNN’s “State of the Union” if Trump still wants a “deportation force” to remove everyone in the country illegally, as he has vowed repeatedly on the campaign trail.
“To be determined,” she said.
Trump is “wrestling” with how to remove those in the country illegally, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), a close advisor to Trump on immigration matters, said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”
Apprehending and removing the estimated 11 million people who either entered the country illegally or overstayed their visas would cost about $400 billion and could reduce U.S. gross domestic product by $1 trillion, according to a study released this year by the free-market think tank American Action Forum.