| Page 3 of 3 < |
For Clinton, New Wealth In Speeches
'It Was Worth It'
Those willing to pay Clinton to speak say they can pack a hall with people eager to hear his question-and-answer sessions on Middle East peace, his motivational seminars, or his lectures on globalization that weave together personal anecdotes and detailed data aimed at inspiring corporate executives to compete better in the 21st-century global economy.
Clinton can also transform a fundraising event.
  Former president Bill Clinton addressing the China Internet Summit in September 2005. Most of his speaking-fee earnings come from abroad. (By Eugene Hoshiko -- Associated Press)
VIDEO | The two video clips above were obtained by The Washington Post and are of a paid speech that former president Bill Clinton gave on Nov. 8, 2006, to the Catholic Family Counseling Center in Kitchener, Ontario.
|
The former president in 2005 helped the U.S. arm of Israel's treasury authority sell $101 million in investment bonds by speaking at a luncheon at the Pierre Hotel in New York that was jammed with real estate executives who wanted to hear his keynote address.
A Catholic group in Canada far exceeded its fundraising goal when it hired Clinton to address a fundraising gala for domestic violence services last November. The crowds came despite protests by Catholic bishops who urged a boycott because of the group's support for abortion rights.
"We had people buying $500 tickets for a lunch. This was a once-in-a-lifetime event for them," said Andrew Wilding of the Catholic Family Counseling Center in Kitchener, Ontario. "They did it in lieu of Christmas gifts, birthday gifts. It was unbelievable."
Kevin O'Marah, senior vice president of AMR Research, an industry group for retail, food and manufacturing suppliers, said the process of signing Clinton to speak last year was so complex -- including filling out multiple forms explaining to Clinton's office and the speakers bureau he uses why the group wanted him -- that "it was like applying for college."
"But it was worth it," he said, adding that Clinton's speech to 900 executives at AMR's annual conference in Scottsdale, Ariz., inspired many in the audience to consider what they could do to address global hunger.
More Money, More Access
Clinton gets a flat fee for those overseas events, but event promoters sometimes offer a tier of options to their patrons. Spending more means gaining more access. This was the case when Clinton collected at least $900,000 last fall for speeches in England and Ireland promoted by longtime golfing partner Satty Singh, a wealthy businessman based in Glasgow, Scotland.
Those who paid about $1,000 to see Clinton at the Burlington Hotel in Dublin on Sept. 27 gained entry to a champagne reception and lunch before the speech. For $4,000 more, they got VIP perks that included a photo and a goody bag containing an autographed copy of his memoir. For about $150,000, corporate sponsors were assured of seats close to Clinton.
Clinton receives thousands of speaking requests a year and accepts a few hundred. Despite the extensive vetting, at least two companies that booked him were under federal investigation.
In February 2005, Clinton traveled to the Paradise Island resort in the Bahamas and collected $150,000 from Swiss biotechnology giant Serono International for a speech that touched on global AIDS. Serono's U.S. arm was then embroiled in a well-publicized federal investigation into giveaways to doctors who unnecessarily prescribed its AIDS drug. A few months after the speech, the company pleaded guilty to two federal conspiracy charges and agreed to pay $704 million in fines.
Clinton also accepted $125,000 in December 2001 to address workers at International Profit Associates, an Illinois company that advises small businesses. At the time, IPA was the focus of a federal investigation -- started during the Clinton administration -- and a government lawsuit alleging widespread sexual harassment.
Like many who have paid the former president to give a speech, IPA executives have been helpful to his wife's campaigns in New York. Her campaign and political action committee have collected nearly $150,000 in donations from the company's officials, making IPA one of her largest single sources of campaign contributions since she ran for the Senate in 2000. The company also flew her aboard its corporate jet, according to a 2004 reimbursement item on her campaign finance report.
Asked about the IPA and Serono speeches, Carson said: "We take our vetting process very seriously. We do our best to try to catch any issues. And given the volume of that, we are not always perfect."
Clinton continues to book new lectures this year as his wife campaigns for president. He will be in Montreal for a motivational speech next month.
Staff researcher Madonna Lebling and research database editor Derek Willis contributed to this report.
