Former US president Bill Clinton on Saturday defended donations his family's charity receives from foreign governments after renewed criticism that they would create conflicts of interest should his wife, Hillary Clinton, run for president.
Clinton said it was possible to work with foreign governments even if one disagrees with some things they do, and that it was acceptable for them to donate to the Clinton Foundation if the donations are publicly disclosed.
"I think it's a good thing," he said onstage at a youth conference organized by the foundation at the University of Miami during an interview with Larry Wilmore, a television talk-show host.
"The UAE gave us money. Do we agree with everything they do? No. But they help us fight ISIS," he added, using an acronym for the Islamist militant group Islamic State.
The United Arab Emirates donated between $1 million and $5 million to the foundation in 2014, according to a list of donors published on the foundation's website.
It was one of several new foreign governments, including Canada and Saudi Arabia, that have begun giving to the foundation since Hillary Clinton, who is on the cusp of announcing a run for the presidency as a Democrat in 2016, stepped down as US secretary of state two years ago.
The Clintons also agreed to annually disclose the names of all new donors to the foundation, which does charitable and development work in dozens of countries.
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