The Clinton Foundation gets SNUBBED by President Obama, Pope Francis and even Leonardo DiCaprio while Hillary runs for office and Chelsea takes on a bigger role
- The Clinton Global Initiative in New York saw more rejections than in previous years
- Sources say that it's because the conference has become politicized thanks to Hillary Clinton's presidential run
- Daughter Chelsea Clinton is playing a bigger role, but she doesn't bring in the big donors like her parents do
Sure, Charlize Theron and Bill Gates spoke today at the Clinton Global Initiative in New York, but a number of big names are skipping the confab this year due to recent controversies and Hillary Clinton's political run.
Politico broke the news that President Obama, Pope Francis, Leonardo DiCaprio, Elton John, New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio, Fed Chair Janet Yellen and economist Thomas Piketty were all invited and are all not going to come.
'They've had a lot of rejections from people – both for membership renewals and speaking roles this year between the campaign, Hillary not being at CGI this year, bad press,' an unnamed source familiar with the situation told Politico.
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Bill Clinton is a big player at the Clinton Global Initiative right now, but even he may have to take a step back because of his wife's White House ambitions
Chelsea Clinton is playing a bigger and bigger role in the foundation, but she doesn't bring in the big bucks like her parents do
Of those big names: Pope Francis spent time in New York this week, but headed to Philadelphia to perform a massive mass.
President Obama is in New York, but to speak before the United Nations. A White House spokesman told Politico the president's decision to miss the conference – the first time in his presidency – was because of a busy schedule, not because his vice president, Joe Biden, was also mulling a run for the White House.
Facebook head Mark Zuckerberg was reportedly someone the Clintons wanted to bring in and spent Friday night in Washington at the White House State Dinner with China, but had a scheduling conflict that prevented him from traveling north to CGI.
British Prime Minister David Cameron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel were both invited and decided not to come.
Charlize Theron (left) and Bill Gates (right) are two of the big names who showed up at this year's Clinton Global Initiative. President Obama, Pope Francis and Elton John all turned the Clintons down
It's pretty typical for event organizers to over-invite speakers, because a healthy percentage usually won't be able to come, but sources said the rejection rate seems higher this year. That could be thanks to media reports tying Clinton Foundation donors to Hillary Clinton's State Department and suggestions that the former received favoritism from the latter.
Other media reports, on the foundation's budget and staffing, may have spooked big name donors and speakers too.
And then there's the fact that Chelsea Clinton has moved front and center as Hillary Clinton has distanced herself from the Foundation while on the campaign trail, and Bill Clinton is tied potentially to a White House future too.
Chelsea Clinton, sources told Politico, just doesn't bring in the same big bucks.
The Foundation's official line is that they don't feel snubbed.
'We're extremely pleased with the response to our invitation,' Foundation officials said in a statement.
Gates and Theron will be joined by Mario Batali, Jessica Biel, Richard Branson, Ashley Judd, Edward Norton, George Soros and Neil deGrasse Tyson just to name a few.
'This year's line-up is extremely strong,' officials said.
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