White House press secretary Jay Carney dismissed criticism of the $100,000 in speaking fees paid to White House senior adviser David Plouffe by a firm with ties to Iran as "political," in a Monday press briefing.
"I’m not sure I understand the nature of your question," Carney said, when asked about the President Obama's promise of a "higher standard" when he came into office. "This was prior to David Plouffe coming to work in the White House. It was before the watchdog group had even made an issue of this particular holding company."
The Washington Post reported Monday that Plouffe had received $100,000 in speaking fees from a subsidiary of the MTN Group, a South African telecommunications firm with ties to Iran and Syria.
Plouffe joined the White House staff in January 2011. While the speeches were given in December 2010, the White House announced in November 2010 that Plouffe, Obama’s 2008 campaign manager, would assume a position in the administration.
"I don’t recall similar criticism from the RNC when senior members of the George W. Bush administration, prior to taking office, had given paid speeches to companies, in the case of Credit Suisse and UBS, were cited for violations regarding the financing in Iran," he said.
Plouffe was also paid by Credit Suisse for a speaking engagement, according to financial disclosures. Additionally, Turkcell, a Turkish telecommunications firm with ties to Iran, paid Plouffe $48,000 in speaking fees.
In 2009, Plouffe donated approximately $50,000 in speaking fees from the Association for Civil Society Development in Azerbaijan (ACSDA), a front for the Azeri government, to pro-democracy groups after controversy over the speech.