Husband's deals could complicate Clinton work

WASHINGTON --- Former President Clinton's globe-trotting business deals and fundraising for his foundation sometimes put his activities abroad at odds with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, and it could cause complications for her if President-elect Barack Obama considers her for secretary of state.

During her presidential run, the senator criticized China for its crackdown on protesters in Tibet and urged President Bush to skip the Olympics in Beijing. Her campaign was embarrassed by reports that her husband's foundation had raised money from a Chinese Internet company that posted an online government "most wanted" notice seeking information on Tibetan human-rights activists who might have been involved in the demonstrations.

Mrs. Clinton has campaigned as a champion of workers' rights. Earlier this year, Brazilian labor inspectors found what they called "degrading" living conditions for sugar cane workers employed by an ethanol company in which Mr. Clinton invested.

In the Senate, Mrs. Clinton was an outspoken critic of a proposed deal under which a Dubai company planned to buy a British business that helped run six major U.S. ports. The company, DP World, privately sought Mr. Clinton's advice about how to respond to the controversy in Washington over the port plan, which the company later abandoned.

Mr. Obama met quietly with Mrs. Clinton on Thursday at his headquarters in Chicago. She declined Friday to say anything about the secretary of state's job, and Mr. Obama is understood to be considering other candidates, including Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico and retiring Sen. Chuck Hagel, a Republican from Nebraska.

Mr. Clinton's fundraising for his presidential library and charitable activities also could pose headaches for Mrs. Clinton if she becomes secretary of state. His foundation reaped millions from Canadian mining tycoon Frank Giustra, and Mr. Clinton accompanied him on a 2005 trip to Kazakhstan, whose human-rights record Mrs. Clinton had criticized, The New York Times reported last year.

Matt McKenna, a spokesman for Mr. Clinton, declined to comment on any difficulties his activities could pose for Mrs. Clinton should she become secretary of state, or whether he would alter his fundraising or other activities to avoid potential conflicts.