By Veronica Stracqualursi, CNN
Former President Bill Clinton on Saturday denied accusations that his charity used donations for Haiti to pay for his daughter Chelsea’s wedding to investment banker Mark Mezvinsky in 2010.
“No Clinton Foundation funds — dedicated to Haiti or otherwise —were used to pay for Chelsea’s wedding,” Clinton tweeted Saturday. “It’s not only untrue, it’s a personal insult to me, to Hillary, and to Chelsea and Marc.”
The former President included a link to a report in The Washington Postthat fact-checked the allegation, labeling it “a claim lacking any evidence.”
The allegation first surfaced in November of 2016, after WikiLeaks published an email exchange between a former Bill Clinton aide and Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman, John Podesta, dating to January 2012.
In the exchange, the former aide, Doug Band, refers to Chelsea Clinton as “using foundation resources for her wedding and life for a decade,” but Band doesn’t get into specifics.
Bill Clinton’s denial of the years-old accusations comes after President Donald Trump reportedly called African nations “shithole countries”this week during a White House meeting with lawmakers to discuss immigration policy. Trump has denied he made the comment.
After Trump’s remarks were reported, Bill,Hillary and Chelsea Clinton all posted reactions on Twitter.
“The anniversary of the devastating earthquake 8 years ago is a day to remember the tragedy, honor the resilient people of Haiti, & affirm America’s commitment to helping our neighbors,” Hillary Clinton tweeted.“Instead, we’re subjected to Trump’s ignorant, racist views of anyone who doesn’t look like him.”
Chelsea Clinton tweeted: “Mr. President, immigrants from El Salvador, Haiti and the 54 countries in Africa likely helped build your buildings. They’ve certainly helped build our country.”
The comments prompted Tom Fitton, president of the conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch, to repeat the allegations about the use of foundation resources for Chelsea Clinton’s wedding on Fox News.
