Clinton Helping Clinton Retire Debt

Sen. Hillary Clinton's in-the-red campaign committee has found an innovative way to pay down a slice of its debt -- and is getting help from President Clinton's foundation, among other groups, in making it happen.

Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., stands with her husband, former President Bill Clinton, during a...

Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., stands with her husband, former President Bill Clinton, during a campaign rally in Scranton, Pa., Oct. 12, 2008. The senator's in-the-red campaign committee has found an innovative way to pay down a slice of its debt -- selling access to its e-mail list of supporters to President Clinton's foundation, and to other groups.

(Jimmy May/AP Photo)

The William J. Clinton Foundation this week became the latest outside group to buy access to the vast e-mail list compiled by the New York senator's campaign. Political insiders believe the list is second only to President-elect Barack Obama's in its size and efficiency in reaching potential donors.

Clinton political aides and officials with the foundation confirm that the foundation paid the campaign committee to send a fundraising solicitation Monday. In the e-mail to HillaryClinton.com users, Chelsea Clinton asks for year-end gifts to the foundation, touting its work on HIV/AIDS.

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Aides declined to specify what the foundation paid the campaign committee for the list; the figure won't have to be reported publicly until next month. They said outside vendors were consulted to set a "fair market" price for the Clinton Foundation to rent the list, in keeping with federal law.

Since there's little precedent for a national political figures selling access to their lists, estimates of what such an e-mail list would cost vary wildly, and would depend in part on whether a group is trying to reach a full list or targeted segments.

Some experts say buying access to a high-quality batch of several million addresses for a fundraising appeal would easily run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Clinton, still owes $6.3 million to vendors after her unsuccessful bid for the Democratic presidential nomination. She's already written off $13.1 million in personal loans to her campaign, so any money raised now won't go toward paying herself back.

And Clinton is facing a fundraising deadline: Because of federal ethics rules, she won't be allowed to solicit campaign donations once she's confirmed as secretary of state. A Clinton adviser said the e-mail list won't be offered for rent after her confirmation.