WikiLeaks publishes Clinton’s paid Wall Street speeches

Transcripts of private speeches by Hillary Clinton to major Wall Street banks have been released by the whistle-blowing site WikiLeaks.

During the Democratic primary campaign, Clinton turned down repeated calls from rival Bernie Sanders to publicize her speeches, which are believed to have earned her around $26 million.

The emails were allegedly hacked from Clinton’s campaign chairman John Podesta, but the campaign has refused to confirm or deny the authenticity of the leaks.

If genuine, the WikiLeaks emails indicate that Clinton has enjoyed warm relations with Wall Street and had once admitted she is “far removed” from ordinary citizens.

In a speech to the Goldman Sachs Builders and Innovators Summit in October 2013, Clinton apparently complained of a “bias” against successful people in Washington that stops them retaining their wealth.

“Well, you know what Bob Rubin said about that,” she is quoted as saying. “He said, you know, when he came to Washington, he had a fortune. And when he left Washington, he had a small…”

A man called Mr Blanfein interjected to say: “That’s how you have a small fortune, is you go to Washington.”

Clinton continued: “You go to Washington. Right. But, you know, part of the problem with the political situation, too, is that there is such a bias against people who have led successful and/or complicated lives. You know, the divestment of assets, the stripping of all kinds of positions, the sale of stocks. It just becomes very onerous and unnecessary.”

At the same event, Clinton spoke of the need to consult Wall Street over financial reform in light of the 2008 financial crisis.

“The people that know the industry better than anybody are the people who work in the industry,” she said.

At another speech to Brazilian bank Banco Itau in 2013, she spoke of her “dream for a common trade market”, in a tone that contrasts sharply with her current opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

“My dream is a hemispheric common market, with open trade and open borders, some time in the future with energy that is as green and sustainable as we can get it, powering growth and opportunity for every person in the hemisphere,” she said.

In a speech to Goldman Sachs/BlackRock in April 2014, Clinton said: “I am not taking a position on any policy, but I do think there is a growing sense of anxiety and even anger in the country over the feeling that the game is rigged. And I never had the feeling when I was growing up. Never. I mean, were there really rich people, of course there were. My father loved to complain about big business and big government, but we had a solid middle-class upbringing.

“We had good public schools. We had accessible healthcare. We had our little, you know, one-family house that, you know, he saved up his money, didn’t believe in mortgages. So I lived that. And now, obviously, I’m kind of far removed because the life I’ve lived and the economic, you know, fortunes that my husband and I now enjoy, but I haven’t forgotten it.”

After leaving office as secretary of state in 2013, Clinton embarked on a career speaking to banks, securities firms and other financial institutions. Tax returns show that her minimum fee was $225,000 per speech.

The leaks come after the US accused Russia of conducting a cyber attack against political organisations intended to influence the presidential election.

“We are not going to confirm the authenticity of stolen documents released by Julian Assange who has made no secret of his desire to damage Hillary Clinton,” Clinton’s campaign spokesman Glen Caplin said. “Guccifer 2.0 has already proven the warnings of top national security officials that documents can be faked as part of a sophisticated Russian misinformation campaign.”