The Clintons kept their speaking fees high even for small charity events


The latest chapter in the ongoing saga of Clinton family finance scandals reveals that the Clintons did not discount their high speaking fees even when working with relatively small charitable organizations.
For example, Politico notes that Hillary Clinton spoke at a fundraising event for the Boys and Girls Club of Long Beach, California in 2014, charging the nonprofit $200,000 for the evening. Five years earlier, former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice charged the same charity just $60,000 — and donated most of it back to the club immediately.
While many nonprofits were reluctant to reveal details of their interactions with the Clintons — some cited "concerns about angering the family" — Politico found that Bill Clinton took in another $150,000 from the same Boys and Girls Club, along with $100,000 from a British nonprofit called the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Marc A. Pitman, a fundraising expert who works with nonprofits, said he is unaware of "any other foundation that collects speaking fees" the way the Clinton Foundation does.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Bonnie Kristian was a deputy editor and acting editor-in-chief of TheWeek.com. She is a columnist at Christianity Today and author of Untrustworthy: The Knowledge Crisis Breaking Our Brains, Polluting Our Politics, and Corrupting Christian Community (forthcoming 2022) and A Flexible Faith: Rethinking What It Means to Follow Jesus Today (2018). Her writing has also appeared at Time Magazine, CNN, USA Today, Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, and The American Conservative, among other outlets.
-
The financial changes to expect in 'Awful April'
The Explainer As the new financial year begins, it brings changes for bills, wages and tax
By Marc Shoffman, The Week UK Published
-
Sudoku hard: April 2, 2025
The Week's daily hard sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
Crossword: April 2, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
WHCA rejects White House press seating grab
Speed Read The White House Correspondents' Association objected to the Trump administration's bid to control where journalists sit during press briefings
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump sends more migrants to El Salvador jail
Speed Read Another 17 Venezuelan alleged gang members have been deported to a notorious prison
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump 'not joking' about unconstitutional 3rd term
Speed Read The president seems to be serious about seeking a third term in 2028
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The JFK files: the truth at last?
In The Spotlight More than 64,000 previously classified documents relating the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy have been released by the Trump administration
By The Week Staff Published
-
Supreme Court upholds 'ghost gun' restrictions
Speed Read Ghost guns can be regulated like other firearms
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump sets 25% tariffs on auto imports
Speed Read The White House says the move will increase domestic manufacturing. But the steep import taxes could also harm the US auto industry.
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump allies urge White House to admit chat blunder
Speed Read Even pro-Trump figures are criticizing The White House's handling of the Signal scandal
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Waltz takes blame for texts amid calls for Hegseth ouster
Speed Read Democrats are calling for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and national security adviser Michael Waltz to step down
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published