Hillary Clinton Defends Speaking Fees Paid by Wall Street Firms

[Katashi_itto]

Hillary Clinton defended her paid speeches to Wall Street firms, rejecting the idea that the millions of dollars she earned in fees would sway her views on financial firms.

On the heels of repeated attacks from Senator Bernie Sanders, who has seized on the fees to portray Mrs. Clinton as out of touch with ordinary Iowans and other voters, Mrs. Clinton gave an interview this week in Iowa to The Des Moines Register, saying she had no regrets. “Anybody who thinks they can buy me doesn’t know me,” Mrs. Clinton said, in the article published Friday.

She described her paid speaking — which spanned events for financial firms and a number of other trade associations and businesses, which typically paid fees of around $225,000 per speech — as a chance for business leaders to hear about her views on world events.

“What they were interested in were my views on what was going on in the world,” Mrs. Clinton said. “And whether you’re in health care, or you sell automobiles, or you’re in banking – there’s a lot of interest in getting advice and views about what you think is happening in the world.”
http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2016/01/22/hillary-clinton-defends-speaking-fees-paid-by-wall-street-firms/

[thereismore]

1. In other words: "I milk my donors for cash." nt

[hootinholler]

23. Hmmm could be, but

Might it be because she already agrees with them? She wouldn't have to change her views then.

Either way ain't good.

[thereismore]

25. Correct. Mine was a charitable take on her. nt

[CorporatistNation]

37. HILLARIOUS!

She is megalomaniacal in her opinion of herself! Canned Speech=$225K! Nice... Nothing owed to anybody... Just pop bu have a little lunch, talk for an hour and ... CA4H THE EFFING CHECK! She thinks that we are all morons... Which is even worse...

[daleanime]

2. If pointing out the exsistence of those 'fees' is an attack....

then Hillary is admitting that she's in the wrong on this. That's refreshingly honest coming from her.

[Katashi_itto]

3. Amazing thing to see

[Fast Walker 52]

4. Hillary Clinton Made More in 12 Speeches to Big Banks Than Most of Us Earn in a Lifetime

https://theintercept.com/2016/01/08/hillary-clinton-earned-more-from-12-speeches-to-big-banks-than-most-americans-earn-in-their-lifetime/

[retrowire]

29. And yet,

with all that money, and as easy as it was for her to earn it... we can't have Medicare for All?

[Fast Walker 52]

34. Indeed.

[CharlotteVale]

5. Her views on world events? ....

[closeupready]

13. I know, right.

What a joke.

[Mnpaul]

38. It reminds me of Newt

working as a historian for Freddie Mac. Yeah, not buying this one either.

[Fast Walker 52]

6. it's not so much that she gave a couple of speeches to bankers, it's that she got freaking rich

doing it. And how many times do they really need to hear her views?

[sadoldgirl]

7. No, she cannot be bought,because she has been bought already.

[global1]

8. Then She Shouldn't Have A Problem Releasing The Transcripts From Those Speeches....

Last edited Sat Jan 23, 2016, 01:45 AM - Edit history (1)

she needs to be pressed on this. I think as an American that will have to make a voting decision that I have the right to know whether she is saying one thing to us 99%er's and another thing to the 1%er's.

[Voice for Peace]

18. Yes

Absolutely

[arcane1]

9. And she tries to basically blame Sanders for the 2008 collapse.

With Dems like these...

[Indepatriot]

10. That's a whole lotta cabbage for her "views about what's goin' on in the world"

Kentucky Fried Jesus does she think we're all fucking stupid?

[Katashi_itto]

19. Yes

[retrowire]

28. Yes. nt

[azmom]

36. Yes

[cali]

11. Greed is good Hillary!

[Live and Learn]

12. They paid her to find out what is happening in the world? Don't they have web access? nt

[nc4bo]

14. Heh. nt

[NorthCarolina]

15. The speeches were nothing more than cover for graft.

That's how DC operates. Hillary is no different than just about every legislator in DC save for very few. The denial is silly. Companies don't fork over millions to ANY politician just because they want to hear their "world views". Hillary camp must think the entire country has the mental acuity of a two year old.

[7wo7rees]

16. Not good enough, Hill, not at all! nt

[Dems to Win]

17. She wrote off the votes of the Occupy Wall Street crowd

She made those speeches knowing she was going to be running for Prez, knowing it would be an enormous turn-off to many members of the 99%.

Dems will have a hard time winning without the enthusiastic support of the OWS young people. It's just one of the reasons I'm supporting Bernie.

[Uncle Joe]

20. Is Hillary suggesting that business leaders couldn't hear about her views on world events without

shelling out $225,000.

Do these business leaders have no T.V. no Internet, no connections to government?

She described her paid speaking — which spanned events for financial firms and a number of other trade associations and businesses, which typically paid fees of around $225,000 per speech — as a chance for business leaders to hear about her views on world events.

Thanks for the thread, Katashi_itto.

[thesquanderer]

39. Or they could have just bought "Hard Choices" for $18.

Just proves these firms have too much cash lying around.

[WillyT]

21. K & R !!!

[EndElectoral]

22. “Anybody who thinks they can buy me doesn’t know me” Laughable. Release the speeches

If they cant' buy you why are the transcripts of those speeches not for the public to view?

[FlatBaroque]

24. They couldn't read about you views in the paper?

[retrowire]

26. I came in expecting her to defend herself

And the answer is basically, "People paid me for my advice and views."

fuck my life. *facepalm*

[Armstead]

27. I'd do what she did. Make a few speeches and big bucks fast. But I'd be honest about it.

[pangaia]

30. “What they were interested in were my views on what was going on in the world,” Mrs. Clinton said.

Well, why didn't you just send them a WORD DOC?

[Wilms]

31. Hillary. maybe you should just keep quiet.

[elias49]

32. Egomaniac.

[catnhatnh]

33. C'mon this is a common practice

and a great example of the invisible hand of the free market. Just the other day a guy said to me "Penny for your thoughts?" and I took it...

[Jefferson23]

35. They're paying to learn what her views are on what is going on in the world? Like what?

Frank-Dodd did not go far enough, so she may want to stop saying
that WS can't and hasn't bought influence..the record says otherwise.

I don't now why Sanders voted yes on the deregulation bill Clinton
keeps talking about..but he should if he hasn't already get to it and
explain it.

That act was tucked in a 11,000 page report and he may have screwed up
and not read it. Bill Clinton at the time was saying to the press he wasn't
for deregulation but the truth is now known he was lobbying for it behind
the scenes.

[tokenlib]

40. Thanks Hillary!! Please keep digging..please.....

Wall Street and Hillary..the gift that keeps on giving....

[wavesofeuphoria]

41. I don't have $250,000 to hear her view of the world.

She is running for the Dem nomination. As a voter, shouldnt I hear her view of the world?

Release transcripts of these speeches, before Iowa.

While at it, release your damned climate plan, too.