Obama, Zuckerberg back out of scandal-plagued foundation gala | Washington Examiner

While many donors and political figures will attend the annual Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) gala tonight, many prominent figures, like President Obama, Arianna Huffington, Elton John and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg have reportedly passed up the event in favor of other activities.

The $2 billion affair in New York City titled "The Future of Impact" was intended to attract a star-studded guest list and celebrate the accomplishments of Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton. But instead the event appears to be representative of the respect the Clintons have lost this past year, as Hillary faces questioning about her private email server and the former president may have to step down from his role with CGI.

Obama, who has attended every CGI gala in the past, will skip for the first time this year, citing scheduling conflicts. Obama has yet to endorse a candidate in the Democratic primary, and while he had history working with Clinton while she was his secretary of state, the two-term Vice President Joe Biden may jump into the race soon.

Additionally Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen and French economist Thomas Piketty were both asked to deliver presentations on income inequality, but both declined, according to a Politico report. Hillary Clinton may lead a panel on economic opportunity for women, but since she has distanced herself from CGI's efforts since launching her campaign, her role will be otherwise minimal.

Numerous donors have dropped their sponsorship of the foundation recently, and it has become increasingly difficult for the CGI to raise money. The weekend will focus on bolstering those efforts, but at the hands of Chelsea Clinton, not her parents. The younger Clinton is slated to take the reins of the foundation as her mother steps back from her role during the campaign and her father's role is called into question.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko are all scheduled to appear at the dinner this weekend.