Former secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton participated in an International Womens Day event at the United Nations. (Andrew Burton, Getty Images)
Hillary Rodham Clinton on Tuesday sought to contain the damage done by her comment that she and her husband were dead broke after he left the White House, saying that she understands the economic challenges facing many Americans.
Let me just clarify I fully appreciate how hard life is so for many Americans today, Clinton said during a live interview on ABC News. Its an issue Ive worked on and cared about my entire adult life.
Clinton continued:
Bill and I were obviously blessed. We worked hard for everything we got in our lives and we have continued to work hard, and weve been blessed in the last 14 years But I want to use the talents and resources I have to make sure other people get the same chances We understand what that struggle is because we had student debts, both of us We have a life experience that is clearly different in very dramatic ways from many Americans, but we also have gone through some of the same challenges many people have.
Clinton was defending the lucrative speaking fees that she and her husband earn in an interview that aired Monday with ABCs Diane Sawyer when she made the comment that the couple were not only dead broke, but in debt in 2001 when Bill Clintons presidency ended. The remark sparked charges of elitism from the Republican National Committee and comments on Twitter suggesting the former secretary of State who is considering a 2016 presidential campaign was tone deaf.
Despite a six-figure taxpayer-funded income and a book deal worth $8 million, its laughable to think that Bill and Hillary Clinton left the White House broke, said RNC spokesman Jahan Wilcox, adding that the Clintons own homes in New York and Washington plus earn six figures per paid speech. Its clear nobody could be more out of touch than Hillary Clinton.
Clintons financial disclosure forms filed in 2000 show the couple had assets worth at least $781,000 and as much as nearly $1.8 million. The form, which Clinton filed as a Senate candidate, show she and her husband owed between $2.3 million and $10.6 million in legal bills at that time, according to the Associated Press. Her advance for Living History, her first memoir, was a reported $8 million.
Clinton is conducting a host of media interviews in conjunction with her latest book, Hard Choices, which went on sale Tuesday. In an interview with USA TODAYs Susan Page, Clinton said the landscape for a woman running for president in 2016 whether or not its her is more welcoming than it was in 2008 when she experienced sexism on the campaign trail.
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Source: http://onpolitics.usatoday.com/2014/06/10/hillary-clinton-dead-broke/
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