Obama to Name Hillary Clinton His State Pick Tomorrow (Update1)
Nov. 30 (Bloomberg) -- Senator Hillary Clinton will be named
President-elect Barack Obama’s choice for secretary of state
tomorrow following former President Bill Clinton’s agreement to
publicly release the names of more than 200,000 contributors to
his foundation, a person close to the former first lady said.
Clinton will join Obama in Chicago as the incoming president unveils his national security team. Other announcements will include the retention of Secretary of Defense Robert Gates for at least a year, and the nominations of Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano as homeland security chief and Eric Holder as attorney general, according to a person familiar with the matter. Holder was No. 2 at the Justice Department under Bill Clinton.
The former president’s business and philanthropic dealings posed a major obstacle to Hillary Clinton, 61, clinching the job of secretary of state, which will make her Obama’s highest-ranking Cabinet officer. Backers say the Clintons’ popularity would boost the U.S.’s global standing. Critics claim the appointment could bring old Clinton-era drama into the new White House. Some analysts say such concern may be overblown.
“This is Obama’s band; he gets to call the tunes,” said Charlie Cook, publisher of the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.
“Obama picked Clinton because, after standing next to her in countless debates and having competed against her, he saw her as a very strong, tough, formidable person and wanted her on his team,” Cook said.
Other Nominees
Obama, 47, is also set to announce his nominations of General James L. Jones, a former Marine Corps commandant, as national security adviser; retired Navy Admiral Dennis Blair as director of national intelligence; and Susan Rice, assistant secretary for African affairs at the State Department under former president Clinton, as ambassador to the United Nations.
Obama has put together a national-security team made up of strong figures. His biggest challenge may be to keep them working in harmony and adhering to the “no drama” credo that he demanded from aides during his campaign. The Obama team’s agreement with Bill Clinton is aimed at avoiding any potential conflicts.
The former president said earlier this month that he would do “whatever they want” to ensure his wife’s appointment. “This is a deal between” Obama “and Hillary,” he told reporters in New York on Nov. 19.
Nine Conditions
The disclosure of Bill Clinton’s donor list is one of nine conditions the former president agreed to in negotiations with Obama’s representatives, according to an Obama aide, who declined to be identified.
The more than 200,000 names comprise the universe of donors to Bill Clinton’s presidential library and foundation. This is separate from the Clinton Global Initiative, which operates under the aegis of the foundation but does not directly take money from the donors.
The list of contributors ranges from those who gave a few dollars to wealthy foreign leaders and business people who donated multimillion-dollar gifts. The foundation has raised more than $500 million.
Clinton, 62, has never before disclosed the identities of donors, though the New York Times reported that contributors include the Saudi royal family, a foundation connected to the United Arab Emirates, the king of Morocco and a mogul who is the son-in-law of Ukraine’s former authoritarian president.
Avoiding Conflicts
Clinton also agreed to incorporate his Clinton Global Initiative, which works to fight poverty, climate change and disease worldwide, separately from his foundation so that he would have less personal involvement and reduce the risk of appearances of conflict of interest due to Hillary Clinton’s position.
The agreement calls for the initiative to cease holding annual meetings outside the U.S. or accepting new donations from foreign governments.
The former president also signed off on handing over for review all future personal speeches and business activities to State Department ethics officials and, if necessary, the White House counsel’s office, according to the aide. Clinton now draws six-figure payments for speaking around the world.
Spokespeople for Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton didn’t immediately respond to calls seeking comment about the agreement.
The names and organizations that Clinton handed over to the Obama team include all donors since 1997. Under terms of Clinton’s agreement with Obama, the names will be released to the public by the end of next month. All future contributors will be revealed for as long as Hillary Clinton is in Obama’s Cabinet, the aide said.
Obama will hold a news conference in Chicago tomorrow at 9:40 a.m. local time. Later he will travel to Philadelphia. The following day, on Dec. 2, Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden are scheduled to meet with the National Governors Association to discuss the challenges that states are facing during the economic crisis.
To contact the reporters on this story: Kim Chipman in Chicago at kchipman@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Mike Forsythe at mforsythe@bloomberg.net
Clinton will join Obama in Chicago as the incoming president unveils his national security team. Other announcements will include the retention of Secretary of Defense Robert Gates for at least a year, and the nominations of Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano as homeland security chief and Eric Holder as attorney general, according to a person familiar with the matter. Holder was No. 2 at the Justice Department under Bill Clinton.
The former president’s business and philanthropic dealings posed a major obstacle to Hillary Clinton, 61, clinching the job of secretary of state, which will make her Obama’s highest-ranking Cabinet officer. Backers say the Clintons’ popularity would boost the U.S.’s global standing. Critics claim the appointment could bring old Clinton-era drama into the new White House. Some analysts say such concern may be overblown.
“This is Obama’s band; he gets to call the tunes,” said Charlie Cook, publisher of the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.
“Obama picked Clinton because, after standing next to her in countless debates and having competed against her, he saw her as a very strong, tough, formidable person and wanted her on his team,” Cook said.
Other Nominees
Obama, 47, is also set to announce his nominations of General James L. Jones, a former Marine Corps commandant, as national security adviser; retired Navy Admiral Dennis Blair as director of national intelligence; and Susan Rice, assistant secretary for African affairs at the State Department under former president Clinton, as ambassador to the United Nations.
Obama has put together a national-security team made up of strong figures. His biggest challenge may be to keep them working in harmony and adhering to the “no drama” credo that he demanded from aides during his campaign. The Obama team’s agreement with Bill Clinton is aimed at avoiding any potential conflicts.
The former president said earlier this month that he would do “whatever they want” to ensure his wife’s appointment. “This is a deal between” Obama “and Hillary,” he told reporters in New York on Nov. 19.
Nine Conditions
The disclosure of Bill Clinton’s donor list is one of nine conditions the former president agreed to in negotiations with Obama’s representatives, according to an Obama aide, who declined to be identified.
The more than 200,000 names comprise the universe of donors to Bill Clinton’s presidential library and foundation. This is separate from the Clinton Global Initiative, which operates under the aegis of the foundation but does not directly take money from the donors.
The list of contributors ranges from those who gave a few dollars to wealthy foreign leaders and business people who donated multimillion-dollar gifts. The foundation has raised more than $500 million.
Clinton, 62, has never before disclosed the identities of donors, though the New York Times reported that contributors include the Saudi royal family, a foundation connected to the United Arab Emirates, the king of Morocco and a mogul who is the son-in-law of Ukraine’s former authoritarian president.
Avoiding Conflicts
Clinton also agreed to incorporate his Clinton Global Initiative, which works to fight poverty, climate change and disease worldwide, separately from his foundation so that he would have less personal involvement and reduce the risk of appearances of conflict of interest due to Hillary Clinton’s position.
The agreement calls for the initiative to cease holding annual meetings outside the U.S. or accepting new donations from foreign governments.
The former president also signed off on handing over for review all future personal speeches and business activities to State Department ethics officials and, if necessary, the White House counsel’s office, according to the aide. Clinton now draws six-figure payments for speaking around the world.
Spokespeople for Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton didn’t immediately respond to calls seeking comment about the agreement.
The names and organizations that Clinton handed over to the Obama team include all donors since 1997. Under terms of Clinton’s agreement with Obama, the names will be released to the public by the end of next month. All future contributors will be revealed for as long as Hillary Clinton is in Obama’s Cabinet, the aide said.
Obama will hold a news conference in Chicago tomorrow at 9:40 a.m. local time. Later he will travel to Philadelphia. The following day, on Dec. 2, Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden are scheduled to meet with the National Governors Association to discuss the challenges that states are facing during the economic crisis.
To contact the reporters on this story: Kim Chipman in Chicago at kchipman@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Mike Forsythe at mforsythe@bloomberg.net
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