Clinton Defends Wall Street Speeches: I Also Tried To Prevent 2008 Crash

Democratic presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton walks back on stage after a break during a Democratic presidential primary debate with Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt, hosted by MSNBC ... Democratic presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton walks back on stage after a break during a Democratic presidential primary debate with Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt, hosted by MSNBC at the University of New Hampshire Thursday, Feb. 4, 2016, in Durham, N.H. (AP Photo/David Goldman) MORE LESS
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Hillary Clinton defended herself during Thursday night’s MSNBC Democratic debate against criticism of the speaking fees she took from Wall Street firms after leaving the State Department.

“What I want people to know is, I went to Wall Street before the crash,” Clinton said. “I was the one saying you’re going to wreck the economy because of these shenanigans with mortgages. I called to end the loopholes that hedge fund managers enjoy. I called for a consumer protection financial bureau before it was created. I think the best evidence that the Wall Street people at least know where I stand and where I have always stood is because they are trying to beat me in this primary.”

Clinton’s defense came a day after she was asked about the same speaking fees, which Sanders had been using as a line of attack, during a CNN town hall. Asked by host Anderson Cooper why she took home more than $600,000 in speaking fees in a single year from financial firm Goldman Sachs, Clinton responded: “Well, I don’t know. That’s what they offered.”

On Thursday night, she seemed determined to offer a more robust counter.

“I think it’s important for everybody to understand I have a record,” Clinton said. “I have stood firm, and I will be the person who prevents them from ever wrecking the economy again.”

Latest Livewire
Comments
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Associate Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: