John Sexton:
The Associated Press has done a review of the groups and companies that paid Hillary Clinton (often lavishly) for speeches.
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.
The AP adds that of the groups that paid for speeches 60 had lobbied the Obama administration and 22 directly lobbied the State Department. The big money speeches took place after she left the State Department in early 2013.
Part of the premise of the AP’s research seems to be that people paying Clinton $200k plus per speech assumed her career in politics was not over when she left the State Department. As the AP puts it, “Their interests would follow Clinton to the White House should she win election this fall.”
