Spending eight years in the White House left Bill and Hillary Clinton in some rough financial shape and struggling to have resources for “mortgages, for houses,” Hillary said in an exclusive ABC interview that will air Monday night.
The potential presidential candidate brought up the issue while defending her individual speaking fees, which average $200,000 per appearance.
“We came out of the White House not only dead broke, but in debt,” Clinton told Diane Sawyer, referring to legal fees they incurred during Bill’s presidency. “We had no money when we got there, and we struggled to, you know, piece together the resources for mortgages, for houses, for Chelsea’s education. You know, it was not easy.”
In 2000, the Clinton’s earned a combined income of $358,000, according to reports on their tax returns. In 2001, they had a combined income of $16 million.
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Both Bill and Hillary have earned millions of dollars giving paid speeches, and she said for them, it was the best way to earn a living.
“Let me put it this way,” Clinton said. “I thought making speeches for money was a much better thing than getting connected with any one group or company as so many people who leave public life do.”
