Inside George Stephanopoulos' Relationship With The Clintons

When it comes to American journalism, George Stephanopoulos has most certainly etched his name in broadcast history. Beginning his career as a political aide around Washington D.C., per Biography, the Columbia University graduate eventually worked his way through Bill Clinton's administration in the early 1990s. Well-versed in politics, Stephanopoulos eventually stepped out of the shadows of his former employers and segued himself into the field of journalism — a decision that would change his life forever.

Upon exiting the Clinton administration after the former president's first term, Stephanopoulos joined ABC News in 1997 as a political analyst for "This Week." In his 24-year (and running) stint with the company, Stephanopoulos quickly worked his way up to Chief Washington Correspondent and eventually ABC News chief anchor, per Brittanica — a position he held from 2014 to 2020 before being replaced by David Muir. During his time with the company, Stephanopoulos has "led the network's coverage of four presidential elections," as well as "moderated live town hall events with former President Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020 and then-presidential candidate Joe Biden in 2020" (via ABC News).

With such a monumental legacy established, Stephanopoulos' rise to the top did not come without fail. In fact, the news anchor's relationship with the Clintons has arguably dealt a massive blow to his journalistic integrity and credibility. So what exactly does George Stephanopoulos' relationship with the Clintons look like? Keep reading to find out...

It's no secret that George Stephanopoulos worked for Democrats like former president Bill Clinton. What is (or was, we should say) a secret was his $75,000 donation to the Clinton Foundation, which was not made known to the anchor's employer or the public before he was outed in 2015. Politico noted that "in 2012, 2013 and 2014, Stephanopoulos made $25,000 donations to the 501 nonprofit founded by former President Bill Clinton" and in his apology, noted that he "should have disclosed the donations to ABC News and its viewers."

The outlet also noted that Stephanopoulos never revealed his donations as an ABC News anchor — even when interviewing "Clinton Cash" author Peter Schweizer, whose book "alleges that donations to the foundation may have influenced some of Hillary Clinton's actions as secretary of state." In an apology, Stephanopoulos' stated he made the donations "in support of the work they're doing on global AIDS prevention and deforestation, causes I care about deeply." He also noted he "thought that my contributions were a matter of public record [and] should have taken the extra step of personally disclosing my donations to my employer and to the viewers on air during the recent news stories about the Foundation. I apologize."

Though Stephanopoulos was outed for his donations, there's still more to unpack regarding his dealings with the prominent political family — particularly in relation his role under the Clinton administration.

Before landing in the Clinton administration, George Stephanopoulos' foray into Democratic politics began with his role as Ohio Congressman Ed Feighan's aide, according to Biography. Stephanopoulos later moved on to work on fellow Greek-American Michael Dukakis' 1988 U.S. presidential campaign and later as an executive floor assistant for then-House Majority Leader Dick Gephardt, the outlet notes.

It was following his stint under Gephardt that Stephanopoulos landed his big break — working under Bill Clinton during his successful 1992 U.S. presidential bid. Biography noted that the ABC News anchor "became one of the new president's most trusted aides, serving as senior advisor for policy and strategy during the administration's first term." During his time under the administration, Stephanopoulos took a hardened stance on "initiatives most notably focused on crime legislation, affirmative action and the health-care plan spearheaded by Hillary Clinton."

The news anchor eventually resigned in 1996 following Clinton's re-election, "citing stress, fatigue and depression" — and though Stephanopoulos stepped down two decades ago, his relationship with the Clintons clearly continued, though under the radar, in the years that followed.