Bill Clinton Still Giving Foreign Speeches for $$
Am I the only one who sees a conflict of interest here? Mr. Clinton says this is the last speech he will give without proper vetting from the State Department, but to me, he's already pushing the limits with this speech.
He got a $200,000 payday to speak to a meeting organized by an executive of a rubber company in Malaysia, according to the New York Times. Petra company competitors say CEO Vinod Sekhar was "using" the former president to attract new investors to his company. In his speech Clinton essentially gave them Sekhar endorsement saying, "“One of the biggest rubber shoes and boots manufacturers, Timberland, is replacing the soles of its shoes it makes with this man’s green rubber technology.”
Since leaving the White House Mr. Clinton has made tens of millions speaking to foreign groups. All of this information has been included on his wife's Senate financial disclosure forms, although neither Clinton seems to view Mr. Clinton's relationships with foreign investors as a potential conflict of interest for the future Secretary of State.
Petra is the same company that Bruce Willis sued over a $900,000 "misunderstanding," according to Petra officials. Willis, along with former Vice President Al Gore, had invested in the company's green rubber technology that Clinton referred to his speech.