Nearly all of the corporations that paid Hillary Clinton for speeches have lobbied the federal government in an attempt to advance company interests.
The Associated Press reported Thursday:
Federal records show almost all the 82 corporations, trade associations and other groups that paid for or sponsored Clinton's speeches have sought to influence the government — lobbying, bidding for contracts, commenting on federal policy or contacting State Department officials or Clinton herself when she was secretary of state...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.
It is illegal for presidents to accept briberies or illegal gratuities if either is in any way linked to an official action.
The Associated Press noted that more than one-third of the firms disclosed in government documents are government contractors, underscoring that "those corporate interests would follow Clinton to the White House should she win elections this fall."
Since the beginning of the Obama administration in 2009, 60 of those firms have lobbied the government at some point while at least 30 profited from government contracts. Another 22 lobbied the State Department.
Clinton has received extensive scrutiny throughout her campaign for amassing $2.5 million through paid speeches to Wall Street firms.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I, Vt.) hit Clinton during a rally in New York City last week for accepting $225,000 to give a speech to Verizon.
The average yearly income of a person in the U.S. was $28,555 in 2014, according to the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Clinton raked in nearly eight times that amount during one gig with Verizon.
"If somebody gets paid $225,000 for a speech, it must be an unbelievably extraordinary speech," Sanders said. "I kind of think if that $225,000 speech was so extraordinary, she should release the transcripts and share it with all of us."