Sanders says releasing his
speeches to powerful firms like Goldman Sachs is easy because... "There
ain't none."
Just what exactly did Hillary
Clinton tell Wall Street bankers when she thought only
they were listening?
"I am very happy to release all of my
paid speeches to Wall Street. Here it is... There ain’t none."
—Bernie SandersWhen she was
first asked the question last month by a journalist during a campaign stop in
New Hampshire, Clinton just
laughed in response before turning away. Subsequently, during a televised
debate, Clinton said she would "look into" it.
But the concern over the
content of her paid speeches to Wall Street firms has only grown in recent
weeks and on Tuesday night, during a town hall event in South Carolina, Clinton
answered the question by saying she would only release transcripts of her
remarks if "everybody does it" and argued that she was being treated
differently than other presidential candidates. "Why is there one standard
for me and not for everybody else?" she asked CNN moderator Chris Cuomo.
"That includes the
Republicans," said Clinton, "Because we know they have given a lot of
speeches."
Earlier in the event, Bernie
Sanders was asked if he would release transcripts of his paid speeches or
appearances.
"I have given some
speeches, and money was donated to charity way, way back," Sanders
responded. "I got a few dollars. If I can find the transcripts, I’m very,
very happy to do it."
But making the obvious
contrast, Sanders explained that he has never agreed to the kind of speaking
engagements that resulted in millions of dollars of fees like the ones given by
Clinton after she left the State Department.
"I am very happy to
release all of my paid speeches to Wall Street. Here it is... There ain’t
none," Sanders said, throwing his hands in the air and receiving laughter
from the crowd. "I don’t do that. I don’t get speakers’ fees from Goldman
Sachs. It’s not there."
According
to The Intercept:
By giving just 12 speeches to
Wall Street banks, private equity firms, and other financial corporations,
Clinton made
$2,935,000 from 2013 to 2015, including $675,000 for
three speeches in 2013 to Goldman Sachs, an investment bank known for
using its ties to public officials to influence policy.
Clinton’s position on releasing
the transcripts appears to be a subtle moving of the goalposts. Previously, her
answer that she would release her transcripts when her opponents released
theirs was understood to be directed at Sanders. Last week, Sanders agreed
to release speeches he has given. In 2014, he made
$1,867.42 for three appearances, donating the proceeds to charity.
Cruz and Rubio have not done
any recent paid speeches.
Trump did seven
paid speeches between 2014 and 2015, to shopping centers, realty companies,
and other similar firms. Ben Carson is doing paid
speeches as he campaigns.
As Common Dreams previously
reported, the Sanders campaign has seized on Clinton's refusal to release
the transcripts, arguing that because future regulation of Wall Street is a
central issue of the Democratic primary, the speaking engagements—and what was
said during them—remains a vital piece of information for voters looking for
candidates who are committed to reforming the financial industry.
Following Tuesday night's town
hall event, Sanders criticized Clinton's response about the controversial
speeches. "[Hillary Clinton] believes Republicans should set the standard
for disclosure of her Wall Street speeches," Sanders tweeted.
"Aren’t we better than that?"
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