Two years ago Hillary Clinton added her name to the charity founded by her husband, a sprawling philanthropic juggernaut that targets Aids, obesity, poverty and women’s rights.

Given that the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation has ties to foreign governments that suppress dissent and women’s rights and that these may damage her nascent presidential campaign, she may now wish that she had not.

Seeking to deflect mounting criticism, the organisation — which before 2013 was called the William J Clinton Foundation — has said that it will continue to accept donations from Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Britain.

However, more controversial regimes that donated last year, including Oman, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Brunei, will now be barred from giving.