Bill Clinton condemns efforts to 'take down' his foundation, defends paid speeches

Former President Bill Clinton accused critics of an effort to undermine the work of his foundation for political gain, saying there is no evidence that donors sought to influence his wife's work at the State Department even as he conceded that "it looks bad."

In portions of an interview with NBC News that aired on the "Today" show Monday, Clinton also defended six-figure speaking fees he has collected and said he'd continue to give paid speeches even as his wife runs for president.

"Oh yeah," he said. "I have to pay our bills."

The interview, which was conducted in Kenya during his tour of Clinton Foundation projects on the continent, was the first the former president has conducted since his wife launched her second bid for the White House.

Last month, a conservative author's new book asserted possible links between major donations to the foundation and favorable actions the U.S. government took on behalf of donors while Hillary Clinton served as secretary of State.

Peter Schweizer, the author of the book "Clinton Cash," has conceded in interviews that he has no proof of a quid pro quo, but has evidence of suspicious circumstances.

"There has been a very deliberate attempt to take the foundation down," Bill Clinton said. "There's almost no new fact that's known now that wasn't known when she ran for president the first time."

Clinton said he has never done "anything that was against the interests of the United States" through his foundation or in accepting speaking fees. "I asked Hillary about this and she said, ‘No one's ever tried to influence me by helping you," he added.

"No one has even suggested they have a shred of evidence to that effect," he said. In the 2008 campaign Clinton campaigned relentlessly on his wife's behalf, securing votes for her in sometimes far-flung corners of primary states but also occasionally distracting from her message with controversial comments. The new interview illustrated again that for all Clinton's political pluses, his efforts to dismiss negative stories often add fuel to the fire.

 Clinton volunteered that it was "amusing" to him to hear questions about whether his wife could relate to middle-class concerns because of the wealth they've accumulated since leaving the White House. He took what appeared to be a jab at Republican hopeful Jeb Bush, saying: "It's OK if you inherit your money, apparently."

"I'm grateful for our success. But let me remind you: When we moved into the White House, we had the lowest net worth of any family since Harry Truman," Clinton said.

Clinton said taking speaking fees was actually a way to avoid conflicts of interest that could arise from other sources of income, and that he turns down many speaking requests if he thought they might raise problems.

"It's the most independence I can get," he said. "If I had a business relationship with somebody they would have a target on their back from the day they did business with me until the end. Any kind of disclosure is a target. But it looks bad. There's no facts of course, but it looks bad."