Report: Trump Administration will Pressure Foreign Governments to Probe Clinton Foundation

In this Feb. 2, 2009 file photo, Vice President Joe Biden, right, swears in Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton in a ceremonial swearing-in at the State Department in Washington, accompanied by her husband, former President Bill Clinton, and their daughter, Chelsea. This time, it's Bill Clinton's turn to be the adoring spouse, rapt and smiling when the cameras cut away from the candidate in the spotlight. He’ll be the He in the VIP box watching as a She accepts the presidential nomination at the Democratic convention on Thursday, July 28, 2016. It's one small step in the role reversal that Americans will need to get used to if Hillary Clinton wins in November. AP Photo/Lawrence Jackson, File

President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration will pressure foreign states to investigate the Clinton Foundation operated by Bill and Hillary Clinton.

A source close to Trump’s team told the New York Post that his administration will pressure U.S. ambassadors on “backroom moves to investigate” the foundation, including influencing foreign governments to probe the foundation’s financial dealings, the report claimed.

The report comes just days after Trump told the New York Times that there would be no new criminal investigations into Clinton, saying she has already “suffered greatly.”

Hillary Clinton departed the family’s foundation to run for president in April 2015, but Bill and Chelsea Clinton are still on the board of directors. The Clinton Foundation recorded a 37 percent drop in donations last year, the Post reported on Nov. 20.

“Haiti and Colombia will be key diplomatic posts for this ­because of all the money ­involved,” a source told the Post.

The report noted several countries of interest related to potential investigations.

In one example, Canadian mining magnate Frank Giustra gave $100 million to the Clinton Foundation in 2005 before later benefitting from the group’s philanthropic work in Colombia.

“The Clinton Foundation, headed by Donna Shalala, the former health and human services secretary in the Clinton administration, has received millions from dozens of foreign governments including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the Netherlands, Canada, Sweden and Ireland,” the Post wrote.

This month, it was reported that Norway, a prolific Clinton Foundation donor, decreased its annual donations from $20 million in 2015 to $4.2 million in 2016, as reported by the Hegnar newspaper, representing an 87 percent decrease.

Australia also cut its Clinton Foundation donations to nothing, which comes after contributing $88 million to the foundation over the past 10 years, according to News.com.au.

In the United States, Republican Rep. Jason Chaffetz, the head of the House Oversight Committee, is still pursuing an investigation into the Clinton Foundation.

He told Fox News on Nov. 11 the probe was unaffected by Clinton’s loss in the election. He said that an investigation into Clinton’s email server usage when she was secretary of state is separate from the Clinton Foundation probe.