Bill Clinton would be 'horrified' to be accused of having 'Tony Blair's profit motivation', Chelsea said in leaked email 

  • Former and possibly future First Daughter was involved in angry spat with her father's closest aide about a consulting firm he had set up 
  • Said that she had returned from a trip to London and found the firm - Teneo Holdings - had been calling MPs 'on behalf of President Clinton'
  • Claimed the calls were for Teneo's commercial benefit and had led to her father being compared to Tony Blair 
  • Wrote that it 'would horrify' former president to ex-prime minister, whose personal fortune after leaving audience is estimated at £60m ($74m)

By Nikki Schwab U.s. Political Reporter For Dailymail.com

Published: 15:27 EST, 10 October 2016 | Updated: 15:39 EST, 10 October 2016

Chelsea Clinton said that it would 'horrify' her father to be accused of having Tony Blair's 'profit motivation', a leaked email has disclosed.

The former - and possibly future - First Daughter wrote an angry letter to senior aides to both her mother and father saying that she had heard the comparison being made in a trip to London in December 2011.

Her analysis of her father's feelings about the former British prime minister, who until now had been seen as a personal and political friend of long standing, emerged in the course of a bitter dispute about the Clinton Foundation, the controversial charity set up by Bill after he left office.  

Cashed in: Tony Blair's personal fortune since leaving office in 2007 is now put at $74 million - apparently a model to which Bill Clinton is keen not to be compared
Cashed in: Tony Blair's personal fortune since leaving office in 2007 is now put at $74 million

Cashed in: Tony Blair's personal fortune since leaving office in 2007 is now put at $74 million - apparently a model to which Bill Clinton is keen not to be compared

Blair has made an estimated personal fortune of £60 million ($74 million at October 2016 exchange rates), since leaving office.

He has long been accused of using his office to enrich himself and his family - who now have a vast property portfolio in the UK - with lucrative contracts with JP Morgan, the World Bank and a series of governments, many in the Middle East or others which have faced questions over their human rights records.

One of his roles when he quit office was on the board of Teneo Holdings, a consulting firm set up by Doug Band, Bill Clinton's closest aide and a former White House 'bodyman' who would be with the then president around the clock.

The other member of the two-strong 'advisory board' at the time of Chlesea's email was Bill Clinton.

She and Band were involved in a bitter power struggle over the family's Clinton Foundation, having that year decided to take a role in it, and - according to the New York Times - 'stop pretending she was not Chelsea Clinton'. 

In an email dated December 6, 2011, Chelsea Clinton wrote to a number of people in the Clintons' inner circle including John Podesta, now the chairman of her mother's campaign to be president, and Terry McAuliffe, a long time Clinton friend who is now governor of Virginia, and shared that 'two people separately' approached her in London and voiced their concerns about Teneo. 

Close allies: In 2011 Chelsea Clinton decided to get involved in her father's Clinton Foundation, leading to a bitter dispute with its boss

Close allies: In 2011 Chelsea Clinton decided to get involved in her father's Clinton Foundation, leading to a bitter dispute with its boss

Dispute: Doug Band had been a 'body man' to the former president but became involved in a bitter internal fight with Chelsea Clinton

Dispute: Doug Band had been a 'body man' to the former president but became involved in a bitter internal fight with Chelsea Clinton

One Teneo employee apparently 'called Members of the House and Members of Parliament', 'on behalf of President Clinton,' for Teneo clients ... without my father's knowledge and inelegantly and ineffectually at best and at worse has now precipitating people in London making comparisons between my father and Tony Blair's profit motivations,' Chelsea Clinton disclosed. 

'Which would horrify my father,' the former first daughter added. 

'I'm speaking at an innovations in governance conference today here in Oxford and flying back later this afternoon. I will raise all of this and more with my father this evening. Wanted to update you all in the meanwhile about my augmented concerns post London and the below,' Chelsea ends her email.

The Clinton's own fortune since leaving office has gone from being around $3 million (£2.4 million) in debt to what is currently estimated to be around $100 million (£80.89 million).

Bill Clinton's post-office career had previously been cited as a model for that of Blair, with a portfolio of six-figure public speaking engagements, lucrative private clients, and a charitable arm.

Indeed so close were the two that when Blair launched his 'Faith Foundation', the charitable arm of his activities, in June 2008, the former president was at his side.

The comparison drawn by Chelsea Clinton, however, hints at tensions over the her father's perception of his friend.  

In the course of the bitter dispute about the Foundation, Band hit back at Chelsea, suggesting she was a 'spoiled brat' who had driven another senior member of staff to the brink of suicide.

Band later left the Foundation and continues to run Teneo Holdings. 

CHELSEA'S ANGER AT COMPARISONS TO TONY BLAIR

This is the email Chelsea sent to John Podesta, her mother's campaign chair; Bruce Lindsey, now chairman and former CEO of the Clinton Foundation; Victoria Bjorklund, a member of its board; Jennifer Reynoso, a legal adviser who had previously conducted a review of the Foundation; and Terry McAuliffe, a long-time Clinton friend who is now governor of Virgina.

John, Bruce, Terry, Victoria, Jennifer - fyi re: below. I've asked that it make my father's clips (it wld historically not as I understand it).  

On another note, I was in London Sunday and did a Foundation event Sunday evening and two people separately voiced concerns directly to me about Teneo, neither of whom I know well (one of whom is a friend of one of Marc's old colleagues, ie we know only tangentially) and Sara Latham (whom Victoria and Jennifer, I do know well - she worked for my Dad in the WH and lives in London) voiced serious concerns to Bari - including telling her Ilya has called Members of the House and Members of Parliament, 'on behalf of President Clinton,' for Teneo clients (eg for Andrew Liveris and Dow who's coming this month to London), without my father's knowledge and inelegantly and ineffectually at best and at worse has now precipitating people in London making comparisons between my father and Tony Blair's profit motivations. 

Which would horrify my father. 

Sara also told Bari she started working for Teneo, as Teneo, more than a year ago and then recently stopped because she was so upset, partly because of what Doug and Declan asked her to do/ pretend was happening for their clients at Davos- that's all I know. 

I am hoping to connect directly with Sara this week, if only to connect her belatedly into Victoria and Jennifer.

I'm speaking at an innovations in governance conference today here in Oxford and flying back later this afternoon. I will raise all of this and more with my father this evening. 

Wanted to update you all in the meanwhile about my augmented concerns post London and the below. Thank you. 

Chelsea

 

 

Comments (40)

Share what you think

 View all

The comments below have not been moderated.

 View all

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

Add your comment

By posting your comment you agree to our house rules.

Who is this week's top commenter? Find out now