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Washington: As President-elect Barack Obama moved closer to making Senator Hillary Clinton his choice for secretary of state, independent legal experts said unwinding some of the most nettlesome conflicts involving her husband's global fundraising would prove extraordinarily complicated.
Perhaps the best evidence of this is a perpetual donation to the William J. Clinton Foundation from Canadian tycoon Frank Giustra, in which Giustra has promised to give the charity half of the future profits from his global mining empire for the rest of his life.
The unorthodox arrangement could present ethical concerns for Clinton if foreign governments believe they can curry favour with her by helping Giustra's far-flung mining operations, or if they fear that restricting his activities would damage their relations with her.
"It presents a really serious problem because the decisions a Secretary Clinton might make could be perceived as affecting the [charity's] cash flow," said Stephen Gillers, a legal ethics expert at New York University School of Law.
The situation underscores the complexity of the negotiations in which top aides to Obama and Clinton engaged over the past week. Those familiar with the talks said they covered a range of concerns, including the former president's profitable public speaking, his global investment work and a mostly secret network of donors to Clinton initiatives.
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