Hillary Clinton is facing calls even from some Democrats for her husband Bill Clinton to curtail his paid speeches. The former president said he will stop if Hillary is elected, but for now he “enjoys those things.”
Is dropping out of the paid speech business even a viable move?
“We’ve never had in American history a former president campaigning for their spouse who is the apparent nominee,” Citizens United chairman David Bossie told the Washington Examiner,” so by definition one would assume Bill would take a front and center role in her campaign as a chief fundraiser.
“Now the difficult bind that he will find himself in is that he is still affiliated with his policies so it’s hard to talk about some of his positions when they’re contradictory to your presidency.” Bossie added.
Former Clinton Labor Secretary Robert Reich recommended that the his ex-boss put an end to his paid public speaking career and up his transparency as Hillary campaigns.
“The issue of full disclosure is a key vulnerability,” Reich said on ABC News’s “This Week.” She has got to, and her husband as well, got to just put everything out. More disclosure than any other candidate…”
The Clintons’ fundraising practices, foundation and overall transparency have come under scrutiny recently. Bill has indicated he will play no direct role in his wife’s campaign but will continue his work as a paid speaker and fundraiser for the Clinton Foundation.
This creates a sticky ethical problem for the Clintons, as every patron of the Clinton Foundation could be perceived as buying access to the potential Democratic nominee. Additionally, Bill reins in six-figure paychecks for every speech he gives.
Since leaving office, Bill Clinton has earned nearly $105 million for hundreds of paid speeches. And since January 2014, Bill and Hillary combined have given more than 100 paid speeches and earned a combined $25 million. Additionally, Hillary earned over $5 million from her memoir Hard Choices, published in June 2014.
The Clintons have defended these practices as financially essential. In 1992, Bill Clinton famously said that by electing him, America would get “two for the price of one.” But money may not be the only way such a two-for-one deal hurts Hillary in 2016. Some of the same progressives who are uncomfortable with the Clintons’ fundraising and corporate ties may also regard the president’s legacy as too centrist.
“Bill Clinton is a potential liability from the hardcore left-wing view of Hillary Clinton and whether they can fall in line which is what they want,” Bossie said. “They want him to do business but not by selling his moderate agenda while Hillary campaigns.”
