The Clintons didn’t try very hard to distance themselves from Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes. Instead, they graciously used her clout to raise money.
Last week, an email invite was sent out to potential invitees for a Hillary Clinton fundraiser in California. The fundraiser was going to be hosted by Elizabeth Holmes — the CEO whose blood-testing startup, Theranos, was cited by federal regulators in January because its lab "posed immediate jeopardy to patient safety." In addition, the fundraiser was set to take place in Theranos' offices in Palo Alto, California. But bad press surrounding the event may have caused the campaign to relocate the event; an official invite obtained by CNBC on Friday showed it would take place at the private home of a tech entrepreneur. Holmes would still be in attendance, however; she appeared at the top of a list of 11 well-known female Silicon Valley figures that would host the event.
Holmes has appeared with the Clintons before. In January 2015, she participated in a the Clinton Foundation's "Health Matters Summit." And in September, she spoked with Bill Clinton about the "future of equality and opportunity" during a Clinton Global Initiative event. Hillary Clinton is also very proud of her friendship with ex-secretary of state Henry Kissinger, who's also a recent member of Theranos' board of directors. But despite questions that surround the accuracy of Theranos' tests and the company's unwillingness to demonstrate the validity of its inventions, the Clintons seem perfectly happy to stand beside it.
Here's Chelsea Clinton w/ Elizabeth Holmes, CEO of Theranos, at the campaign's San Francisco fundraiser today: pic.twitter.com/YHvY4HH2QP
— Ruby Cramer (@rubycramer) March 21, 2016