Hillary Clinton's $275,000 speaking fee proved a bit too steep for officials at the University of Missouri at Kansas City, who hoped to spice up a gala luncheon marking the opening of a women's hall of fame. But the institution was happy to hand over $65,000 for a brief appearance by Clinton's daughter, Chelsea, the Washington Post reported.

The newspaper said it collected more than 500 pages of emails, contracts and internal documents that detailed the institution's dealings with the Clintons, which pointed to the "celebrity appeal and marketability (of) the former and possibly second-time first daughter" and "show the meticulous efforts by ... image-makers to exert tight control" over Chelsea Clinton's visit to the university.

The $65,000 fee included a 10-minute speech and a 20-minute Q&A session, after which the 35-year-old Clinton posed for pictures, Politico detailed. The payment, which the university said was paid through private donations, exceeded those requested by feminist leader Gloria Steinem ($30,000), journalist Cokie Roberts ($40,000), editor Tina Brown ($50,000) and "60 Minutes" correspondent Lesley Stahl ($50,000), who had been among other speakers under consideration.

Clinton's assistants exerted what the Washington Post called "tight (image) control" during the visit. They set limits on the amount of time she spent on campus and edited both marketing materials and the introductory remarks of a high school student.

The former first daughter made no personal income from the appearance as she donated her fee to the Clinton Foundation, her spokesman Kamyl Bazbaz told the newspaper.

"Chelsea is grateful to have the opportunity to speak at events like this while also supporting the work of the Clinton Foundation," said the spokesman, Kamyl Bazbaz. He added that she was happy to "celebrate the legacy of women in their community."

Social media, meanwhile, "exploded" over the $65,000 figure reported by the Washington Post.

"No offense to Chelsea Clinton but she should not make double the fee of Gloria Steinem for speaking," blogger Melissa Silverstein judged.

Writer Q. Allan Brocka, on the other hand, praised Clinton's decision to donate her fee to the Clinton Foundation.