Fwd: IRA

From:erskine@2bowles.com To: john.podesta@gmail.com Date: 2015-03-13 16:15 Subject: Fwd: IRA

FYI Sent from my iPad Begin forwarded message: ________________________________________ ________________________________________ I've read the three documents. Here are my initial thoughts based on this cursory review : (1) Ira is kind of like the turtle sitting on the fence post. He sounds like he thinks he got there all by himself. He stress the great results of CHAI since it became an independent entity in 2010 but (a) he fails to come close to adequately acknowledging the role you and the CF played in CHAi's early formative years when everyone at the CF foundation was working so hard through thick and thin to get CHAI established , organized and gain respectability ; (b) nor does he acknowledge the role played by you and the CF in bringing the CHAI Foundation back from the edge of disaster created by " CHAI overspending $23 million " ... "of grant funds from restricted grants to fund other CHAI programs " ; (c) nor does he give any credence to the enormous role you have played and CONTINUE to play in directly and indirectly raising funds for CHAI. While he focuses on the legal independence of CHAI and its current lack of direct funding from the CF , he fails to acknowledge or understand its you , your reputation , your brand that has opened and continues to open so many doors and funding opportunities for CHAI. Going forward Ira reminds me of someone who wants his cake and eat it too. He wants all Clinton people , all controls and oversight from the Clinton Foundation and its appointees and auditors gone , but he wants to keep YOU as Chairman of the board and thereby keep your ability to continue to open doors and opportunities as well as wallets available to CHAI in the years ahead. (2) Your short 2 page response to what's termed the managements letter to you is fine. I think you're right not to address in this letter to Ira all the points Maura Paully makes in her memo to you and Chelsea. At the same time you simply can't let the unfounded allegation of " the underlying conflict of interest " lay out there with no response. My advice is send the letter. (3) Maura's memo seems to me based on this cursory review to adequately state your rebuttals and your side of the argument to most of the issues and allegations raised by Ira. The one I think that needs more support is the unsupported allegation that claims the CF uses the CF Annual Trip that visits several CHAI facilities and CHAI personnel as well as the CF promotional and fundraising materials to mislead donors into thinking that the money they give to the CF goes to CHAI when it actually does not and that donors object to it and feel mislead. . While this slur is based on hearsay , in my opinion it needs a much stronger rebuttal than is currently in Maura's memo . (3) You evidently have some high quality nationally recognized consulting firm doing a review of CHAI and how it is organized , managed and structured and how its management and governance might be improved. Your proposal that both you and Ira as well as the rest of the board and management review this independent report before deciding what's next seems to make good common sense to me. I will be glad to discuss this further at your convenience. Erskine