http://www.truthrevolt.org/news/clintons-fees-match-government-contractsDid Hillary Clinton have a pay-to-play attitude toward the companies and groups that she spoke to between the time she left the Obama administration as Secretary of State and the time she launched her presidential campaign? An analysis by Associated Press finds that most of the organizations she spoke to between 2013 and 2015 had lobbied the federal government and more than one-third are government contractors:
The AP's review of federal records, regulatory filings and correspondence showed that almost all the 82 corporations, trade associations and other groups that paid for or sponsored Clinton's speeches have actively sought to sway the government — lobbying, bidding for contracts, commenting on federal policy and in some cases contacting State Department officials or Clinton herself during her tenure as secretary of state.
Presidents are not generally bound by many of the ethics and conflict-of-interest regulations that apply to non-elected executive branch officials, although they are subject to laws covering related conduct, such as bribery and illegal gratuities. Clinton's 94 paid appearances over two years on the speech circuit leave her open to scrutiny over decisions she would make in the White House or influence that may affect the interests of her speech sponsors.
Clinton has been blasted not only by Democratic rival Bernie Sanders for her close ties to Wall Street banks and big business through her speaking fees, but also by Republicans who have pointed to Clinton's hypocrisy in attacking Wall Street while taking high six-figure speaking fees from the very firms she attacks:
The AP review identified at least 60 firms and organizations that sponsored Clinton's speeches and lobbied the U.S. government at some point since the start of the Obama administration. Over the same period, at least 30 also profited from government contracts. Twenty-two groups lobbied the State Department during Clinton's tenure as secretary of state. They include familiar Wall Street financial houses such as Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs Group Inc., corporate giants like General Electric Co. and Verizon Communications Inc., and lesser-known entities such as the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries and the Global Business Travel Association.
AP has a lengthy breakdown of the fees paid to Clinton alongside the lobbying fees paid by the companies or their government contracts.
