Former Secretary of State and potential 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is being paid to give speeches on how President Barack Obama’s policies are affecting industry, the Washington Post reports.
She has so far delivered or been scheduled to deliver 14 speeches and has been paid over $200,000 for each.
"Most of the trade groups Clinton has addressed actively lobby Congress on issues both substantial and mundane," according to the Post.
This is how Clinton is cashing in on her star power as she weighs whether to run for the White House in 2016. The would-be Democratic front-runner is barnstorming the country delivering speeches and answering questions at events sponsored by industry groups eager to gain access to someone who may well be the next president.
As a former secretary of state and U.S. senator, Clinton is following a path well-worn by retired politicians such as her husband — who has racked up tens of millions of dollars in speaking fees since leaving office — and by State Department predecessors such as Condoleezza Rice, Colin Powell and Madeleine Albright.
But the extent of Clinton’s speaking schedule, and the size of her standard fee, is more unusual for someone considering a run for president. Republicans Mitt Romney and Tim Pawlenty gave some lower-paid speeches prior to their 2012 campaigns, and former House speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) was a longtime speaking circuit mainstay before he ran for the GOP nomination last cycle.