RUSH: The Washington Post is going gaga today. Well, actually, in a way, going gaga, but not all the way. I printed this story out on my computer. Seven pages when you print this story out! You know what the headline is? “For Clinton, New Wealth in Speeches.” Seven pages to tell us how rich Bill Clinton is. The story says that in six years, Bill Clinton has raked in nearly $40 million in speech fees. ?Former president Bill Clinton, who came to the White House with modest means and left deeply in debt, has collected nearly $40 million in speaking fees over the past six years, according to interviews and financial disclosure statements filed by his wife, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) Last year, one of his most lucrative since he left the presidency, Clinton earned $9 million to $10 million on the lecture circuit. He averaged almost a speech a day — 352 for the year — but only about 20 percent were for personal income. The others were given for no fee or for donations to the William J. Clinton Foundation,? and his massage parlor in Little Rock.
?His paid speeches included $150,000 appearances before landlord groups, biotechnology firms and food distributors,? and this is the key, ?as well as speeches in England, Ireland, New Zealand and Australia that together netted him more than $1.6 million.? Clinton said, ?I never had a nickel to my name until I got out of the White House, and now I’m a millionaire.? (doing Clinton impression) ?I’m richer than you are! Ha-ha-ha-ha. And I’m never going to stop reminding you of it. I get a tax cut every year no matter what Hillary’s needs are, what my needs are.? Now, according to these financial disclosure forms, the Clintons’ net worth here is estimated to be between ten million to $50 million. The thing that’s striking about this to me — and I don’t care — it doesn’t bother me. I just can’t forget when Ronaldus Magnus left office; he went to Japan, made a couple speeches and came home with $2 million. He was excoriated. Reagan was scorched by the Drive-By Media. And why? Because it was unseemly. He was selling the presidency. This was beneath the dignity of the office. Now, it’s a source of great pride that William Jefferson Clinton is out there raking in $40 million. (Clinton impression) ?I got so much money, ha-ha-ha. I mean, Republicans, I’m their favorite guy. I keep getting their tax cuts and I don?t need it.? Give the money back, then.
Phony baloney, plastic banana, good time rock ‘n’ roller. So much of this stuff comes from foreign sources. ?Foreign clients have included Saudi Arabia’s Dabbagh investment firm, which paid $600,000 for two speeches, and China’s JingJi Real Estate Development Group, run by a local Communist Party official, which paid $200,000 for a speech. The Mito City Political Research Group, a Japanese political studies center, paid Clinton $400,000 for a 2002 speech about politics.? He’s all over Dubai, and so is Gore. These people are raking in all these speech fees from foreign sources. And again, I don’t decry and condemn anybody working hard and earning a living for it. If he’s in demand and people are willing to pay this, fine and dandy, but the interesting thing is that this $40 million, according to this story, is only from 10% of the speeches. The others are not paid.