The federal agency responsible for consumer protection is refusing a request from members of Congress to investigate the nonprofit Clinton Foundation.

"When the [Federal Trade] Commission can establish that an entity claiming to be a charity is in fact operating to profit itself or its members, i.e., is a 'sham charity,' the Commission can bring an enforcement action against the entity for making deceptive representations to donors," Democratic Commission Chair Edith Ramirez wrote in a Thursday letter to House members.

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Ramirez suggested the FTC had insufficient evidence to take action. Tennessee Republican Rep. Marsha Blackburn, who led a group of 21 House members in requesting that the FTC take action, said in response that the FTC's assertion was "inconsistent" with its "mission and precedent."

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"It appears they took the easy route of sending back a form letter rather than truly investigating an issue that is of compelling public interest," Blackburn wrote in a statement. "The allegations swirling around the Foundation are very serious and should be thoroughly vetted. This is an issue of fairness and accountability that needs to be addressed.

"The lack of transparency by the Clinton Foundation raises issues of deception and false claims," she added.

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Blackburn announced in March that she was asking the FTC to conduct an investigation into the foundation. The Better Business Bureau said in 2013 that it failed to meet its "transparency and accountability requirements," and until December, it was part of a "watch list" maintained by CharityNavigator.com, a site the FTC encourages consumers to use to distinguish between "sham" charities and legitimate ones.

The charitable organization is still under investigation by the FBI, which is looking into allegations of public corruption stemming from Hillary Clinton's time as secretary of state. Those include concerns that foundation resources were improperly commingled with those belonging to the federal government, and that it received contributions from foreign dignitaries Clinton was in a position to benefit.