Bill Clinton made millions from a shady for-profit university

As Donald Trump fights to keep the details of his Trump University lawsuit secret, connoisseurs of news about presidential candidates entangled in messy relationships with for-profit educational institutions can turn their attention to the Clinton camp.

Per the Clintons' tax returns, Bill Clinton received nearly $16.5 million for his role as honorary chancellor of Laureate Education, a for-profit group which bills itself as the "largest global network of degree-granting higher education institutions." The former president left his position, which he had held since 2010, in the spring of 2015 when Hillary Clinton began criticizing for-profit colleges on the campaign trail.

Critics allege that Laureate's ties to the Clintons and their family foundation gained the university a shield from federal scrutiny while also easing visa applications for foreign students during Hillary Clinton's tenure in the State Department. That charge parallels accusations that foreign governments and major corporations received favors from the Clinton State Department in exchange for supporting the Clinton Foundation.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up

Update: A spokesperson for Laureate adds this context: "President Clinton had a five-year term, which was spelled out in his contract. His term had expired" when he left in 2015.