WASHINGTON Democratic Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York faced questions at her Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday about foreign donations to the charitable foundation of her husband, former U.S. President Bill Clinton, and their potential for conflicts of interest.
Three Republicans raised the issue at a largely friendly hearing on Hillary Clinton's nomination by President-elect Barack Obama to serve as U.S. secretary of state.
Here are a few questions and answers about the issue.
- What is the Clinton Foundation?
The nonprofit foundation was established by the former president to help pay for his library in Arkansas and charitable projects and policy initiatives around the globe on issues such as fighting poverty, bolstering global health programs and promoting energy independence.
- Why has the foundation become an issue in Clinton's nomination for secretary of state?
Concerns have been raised about potential conflicts of interest between Clinton's role as secretary of state and the nearly $500 million (£345 million) in donations received for the foundation, including those from foreign governments.
"The core of the problem is that foreign governments and entities may perceive the Clinton Foundation as a means to gain favour with the secretary of state," Indiana Sen. Richard Lugar, the senior Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said at her hearing.
- What have the Clintons done to ease the concerns?
Under an agreement with President-elect Obama, Bill Clinton recently released the names of more than 200,000 donors to his foundation.
A memorandum of understanding between transition officials and the foundation, signed on December 12, required that Bill Clinton disclose the foundation's future contributors once a year. The Clinton Global Initiative, an offshoot of the foundation, would no longer hold events outside the United States and would refuse any further contributions from foreign governments, it said.
- Who are the donors to the foundation?
A number of foreign governments, foundations and individuals contributed to the foundation. Saudi Arabia alone gave $10 million to $25 million, and Brunei, Kuwait, Norway, Oman, Qatar and Taiwan each gave more than $1 million.
(Writing by John Whitesides, editing by Vicki Allen)
On Tuesday, Hillary Clinton began her confirmation hearings for her position as the new United States Secretary of State when Barack Obama ascends to the US Presidency.
Official portrait of Hillary Clinton.
During the hearing by the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, she was questioned about her husband, former President Bill Clinton's, charitable foundation, which has come under fire for accepting donations in the tens of millions of dollars from a number of foreign governments, foundations and individuals.

"It is not unique, however, for spouses of government officials to work, and there are very well established rules for what is expected when that occurs," she said.

"I plead for you, really, to give even more consideration," said Senator Richard Lugar, who fears that foreign governments and others could win favor with the Secretary of State by donating money to the foundation run by her husband.

"I share the President-elect's view that the activities of the Clinton Foundation and President Clinton himself should not be a barrier to Senator Clinton’s service," Senator Lugar further said. "But I also share the view implicitly recognized by the memorandum of understanding that the work of the Clinton Foundation is a unique complication that will have to be managed with great care and transparency."

Prior to Hillary Clinton's nomination, the Obama transition team required a memorandum of understanding between transition officials and Bill Clinton's foundation, which was signed on December 12. It stipulated that Bill Clinton must disclose the foundation's future contributors once a year.