ABC News chief anchor George Stephanopoulos donated $75,000 to the Clinton Foundation, but still reported on Hillary Clinton's shady dealings with foreign entities without disclosing the conflict of interest to ABC viewers.
Stephanopoulos confirmed to Politico that he did indeed make three donations of $25,000 to the Clinton Foundation, in 2012, 2013 and 2014.
Critics claim the disclosure calls into question Stephanopoulos' journalistic integrity. The Washington Free Beacon claims Stephanopoulos exerted partisan-like behavior while interviewing "Clinton Cash" author Peter Schweizer last month about allegations that donations to the Clinton Foundation may have influenced Hillary Clinton's actions as secretary of state. Stephanopoulos repeatedly challenged those allegations by pressing for smoking gun evidence of a crime.
"We've done investigative work here at ABC News, found no proof of any kind of direct action," he told Schweizer, reported Politico. "An independent government ethics expert, Bill Allison, of the Sunlight Foundation, wrote this. He said, 'There's no smoking gun, no evidence that she changed the policy based on donations to the foundation.' No smoking gun."
Stephanopoulos said later in the interview, "I still haven't heard any direct evidence, and you just said you had no evidence that she intervened here," also noting that no other news organization has "confirmed any evidence of any crime."
The host, who formerly served as communications director and senior adviser for policy and strategy to President Bill Clinton, apologized in a statement for failing to disclose the contributions and said he will not be moderating the GOP debate ABC News is hosting in New Hampshire in February.
"I made charitable donations to the Foundation in support of the work they're doing on global AIDS prevention and deforestation, causes I care about deeply," Stephanopoulos said Thursday in a statement to the On Media blog. "I thought that my contributions were a matter of public record. However, in hindsight, I should have taken the extra step of personally disclosing my donations to my employer and to the viewers on air during the recent news stories about the Foundation. I apologize."
ABC News released its own statement on Thursday, acknowledging that Stephanopoulos should have disclosed the donations, but saying it stands behind him anyway.
"As George has said, he made charitable donations to the Foundation to support a cause he cares about deeply and believed his contributions were a matter of public record," ABC's statement read. "He should have taken the extra step to notify us and our viewers during the recent news reports about the Foundation. He's admitted to an honest mistake and apologized for that omission. We stand behind him."
