CLINTON CONFIRMATION: In the Hearing’s Final Act, Menendez Defends Clinton Foundation Disclosure

Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) talks about getting full disclosure for the Clinton Foundation’s donors. “That’s correct, Senator,” Clinton reiterates. Menendez knows the game. “What I would hate to see,” he says, “is anyone to put in doubt … two extraordinary public servants’ ability to do their job. The Clinton Global Initiative has made a real difference for millions of people around the world,” Menendez says, mentioning its HIV-AIDS initiatives, particularly for children. “I would hate to see what Nelson Mandela has said is a global movement where every word spoken … can make a difference for generations to come” — he starts quoting Mandela and Obama — “… to be blemished by some simply for purposes that are far less substantive and a lot more political.”

Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) isn’t in the hearing room anymore, but Megan Carpentier says one of his staffers still is. In any event: ouch. Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) also backs Clinton up again. Menendez specifies that he wasn’t talking about Sen. Dick Lugar (R-Ind.), but rather “other questioners” — though he doesn’t say Vitter’s name. And with that, the hearing wraps.