How Bernie Sanders, The Socialist Senator, Amassed A $2.5 Million Fortune

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201. Here's what Hillary says in "What Happened":

"... like many former government officials, I found that organizations and companies wanted me to come talk to them about my experiences and my thoughts on the world -- and they'd pay me a pretty penny to do it. I continued giving many speeches without pay, but I liked that there was a way for me to earn a very good living without working for any one company or sitting on any boards. I spoke to audiences from a wide range of fields: travel agents and auto-dealers, doctors and tech entrepreneurs, grocers and summer camp counselors. I also spoke to bankers. Usually I told stories from my time as Secretary of State and answered questions about global hot spots. ... Sometimes I spoke about the importance of creating more opportunities for women, both around the world and in corporate America. ... Most of the organizations wanted the speeches to be private, and I respect that: they were paying for a unique experience. This allowed me to be candid about my impressions of world leaders who might have been offended if they heard. (I'm talking about you, Vladimir.)

"Later, my opponents spun wild tales about what terrible things I must have said behind closed doors and how as President I would be forever in the pocket of the shadowy bankers who had paid my speaking fees. I should have seen that coming. Given my record of independence in the Senate -- especially my early warnings about the mortgage crisis, my votes against the Bush tax cuts, and my positions in favor of financial regulation, including closing the tax loophole for hedge funds known as carried interest -- this didn't seem to be a credible attack. I didn't think many Americans would believe that I'd sell a lifetime of principle and advocacy for any price. when you know why you're doing something and you know there's nothing more to it and certainly nothing sinister, it's easy to assume that others will see it the same way. That was a mistake. Just because many former government officials have been paid large fees to give speeches, I shouldn't have assumed it would be okay for me to do it."