The Clintons stole billions in Haiti earthquake aid
| The Clintons stole billions in Haiti earthquake aid | |
|---|---|
| UNSUPPORTED | |
| "Bill and Hillary Clinton and their foundation stole or diverted billions of dollars meant for Haiti after the 2010 earthquake." | |
| Domain | Disasters & Emergencies |
| Tactic | Conspiracy Theory |
| Era | Current |
| First seen | 2015 |
| Origin | Political attacks during the 2016 campaign, a 2015 book by Peter Schweizer, and social media posts |
| Last reviewed | 2026-10-29 |
| Further reading: books on Disasters & Emergencies | |
After the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti, which killed an estimated 100,000 to more than 200,000 people, Bill Clinton co-chaired the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission and served as UN special envoy, while Hillary Clinton's State Department led US reconstruction efforts. International donors pledged about $10 billion or more.
Reconstruction fell far short of its promises, and some Clinton-backed projects failed. No investigation found that the Clintons or their foundation stole aid money.
What the evidence shows
- Where the money went. Most donor money flowed through governments, UN agencies and nongovernmental organizations, not through the Clintons. The Clinton Foundation reported raising about $36 million for Haiti and the separate Clinton Bush Haiti Fund about $54 million.
- Real failures. The Caracol industrial park, backed by the State Department, created far fewer jobs than promised and displaced farmers. Many pledged funds were never delivered.
- No finding of theft. Haitian officials and commentators criticized the Clintons, but no audit or investigation produced evidence of theft or personal enrichment from the relief money.
Why it matters
Haiti's reconstruction is a real story of broken promises and poor results that deserves scrutiny. "Stole billions" assigns a crime the record does not show.
Sources
- US Government Accountability Office, Haiti Reconstruction: USAID Infrastructure Projects Have Had Mixed Results, GAO-13-558, 2013.
- Office of the Special Envoy for Haiti, reports on donor pledges and disbursements, 2011–2012.
- PolitiFact, "Did the Clintons steal Haiti aid money?" 2016.