CNN anchor Carol Costello Wednesday fact-checked accusations by Donald Trump supporter Gina Loudon that the Clinton Foundation retained 80 percent of its donations.
"The Clinton Foundation hangs on to more than 80 percent of the money that is raised," Loudon, a psychologist and frequent Fox News guest, said in a panel discussion about the allegations surrounding the defunct Trump University on
CNN Newsroom.
The discussion was reported by
RawStory, which noted, "Citing Politifact and FactCheck.org, Costello pointed out that the '80 percent number has been floated by many conservatives, but they may be referring only to the amount donated by the Clinton Foundation to outside charities.'"
Why is so much of the Clinton Foundation spent within the organization itself?
"The bulk of the Clinton Foundation's charitable work is actually performed in house," Costello continued. "And last year, one independent watchdog did an analysis of the foundation's funding and found that 89 percent of its funding went to charity, earning it an 'A' rating."
According to the Clinton Foundation website, "The money raised by the Foundation is spent directly on our programs, and not as grants to other charitable organizations.
"The majority of the Clinton Foundation's charitable work is performed and implemented by our staff and partners on the ground. We operate programs around the world that have a significant impact in a wide range of issue areas, including economic development, climate change, health and wellness, and participation of girls and women."
For example, Clinton Foundation staff oversee programs that impact 31,000 American schools providing children health lunches and food choices, working with more than 105,000 African farmers developing their food-producing businesses; and assisting millions in more than 70 countries to gain access to health programs through the Clinton Health Access Initiative.