With some of the facts of the case unknown, Clinton’s ad makes claims that cannot be proven. For that reason, we decided to not put this statement on our Truth-O-Meter. Still, with all the news stories re-circulating about the donation, we wanted to take a closer look at the situation and separate fact from speculation….
We can’t prove this was an attempt to “cover up the donation,” as Clinton said, but experts said the situation makes the mistakes peculiar.
Brian Galle, a law professor at Georgetown University said any “minimally competent” foundation should not list the wrong name on a tax return because a charitable organization has an identification number — more formally an employee identification number. Galles said that number is usually requested before you cut the check.
“Though the regulations do not explicitly state that foundations must do an EIN search, common sense dictates that that is the bare, bare minimum step that probably is necessary to verify accurately,” Galle said. “Given a strong motive to conceal, the added risks of delay, and a literally unbelievably basic mistake, a reasonable person could well conclude that this was a deliberate effort to obfuscate.”