Hillary Rodham Clinton Defends Her Six-Figure Public Speaking Fees, Says Speeches Can Help Economy
In response to criticism about for her six-figure speaking fees, Hillary Clinton announced on Friday that she has donated the money that she has earned over the past 18 months from public speaking appearances at various universities to the Clinton Foundation.
"All of the fees have been donated to the Clinton Foundation for it to continue its life-changing and life-saving work," she told ABC News. "So it goes from a foundation at a university to another foundation."
Back in 2001, former President Bill Clinton founded the Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation nonprofit to combat global issues.
According to Politico, the former Secretary of State charges around $200,000 for each speaking engagement, while the Wall Street Journal reported that she received $300,000 when she appeared at UCLA back in March.
As a result, conservatives and students have spoken out about Clinton's extraordinary speaking price tag.
Students at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas are petitioning the former New York senator to return the $225,000 she charged the school for an upcoming October speech, but Clinton has made no indication that she plans on giving the money back to the school. Instead, she emphasized that the ideas she presents in her speeches can help combat income inequality and strengthen the economy.
Clinton was also recently scrutinized for saying that she and her husband were "dead broke" when they left the White House during an earlier interivew with ABC.
"I shouldn't have said the five or so words that I said," Clinton said in response to the backlash. "But my inartful use of those few words doesn't change who I am, what I've stood for my entire life, what I stand for today."
After acknowledging her gaffe, she asserted that she doesn't need anyone to stand up for her.
"My husband was very sweet today, but I don't need anybody to defend my record. I think my record speaks for itself," she told PBS.
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