“Money in the bank,” Bill Clinton is likely thinking.
The agreement among Democratic members of the House of Representatives is that there exists nothing wrong with the former president continuing to deliver speeches for money — often for around $500,000 a pop — even as his wife Hillary Clinton campaigns for the White House.
According to The Hill, only one out of 12 House Democrats questioned about Clinton’s speaking engagements takes outright issue with him continuing to accept funds for his remarks.
“The fee-for-service stuff has to stop,” demanded Rep. Raul Grijalva (Ariz.), echoing former Clinton Labor Secretary Robert Reich, who called on Clinton to halt the paid engagements during an appearance on ABC News this month.
Yet, Grijalva stands the outlier amidst a cacophony of liberal lawmakers jumping to Clinton’s defense.
“I just don’t think that Americans cast their vote for or against Hillary Clinton based on whether Bill Clinton is giving speeches,” claimed Rep. Steve Israel (N.Y.), couching Reich’s demand as a “distraction.”
“People have a right to earn a living,” explained Rep. Keith Ellison (Minn.). “If I had a spouse that did a particular kind of job, I’d be disappointed that people would think that I just bought into everything my spouse’s employers were saying or doing.”
Bill Clinton, of course, infamously defended his paid speeches last month in an NBC interview, claiming, “I’ve got to pay our bills.”
And some bills they must have. After all, Bill and Hillary Clinton have netted upwards of $25 million just for delivering paid speeches since the beginning of 2014.
Rep. Stephen Lynch (Mass.) commended Clinton for sharing his “wisdom” during speaking engagements, while Rep. Gene Green (Texas) spotlighted the work the Clinton Foundation has done with the money that the former president’s speeches have helped raise.
“Bill Clinton is not running for president; Hillary Clinton is,” explained Rep. Mark Pocan (Wis.), the Democrat famous for his magic skills. “Whether it’s controversy about the foundation that does a lot of good work or him making speeches, there’s a difference between these two people, and personally, I just don’t see it as an issue.”
While Clinton made an almost-promise last week to stop his paid speaking engagements should Hillary win the White House, he might just be rethinking that now.
