Politics on the Hudson

The Associated Press reports this morning: “Former President Clinton made more than $10 million in paid speeches last year, according to new filings that show he and his presidential-candidate wife have at least $10 million in the bank, and may have closer to $50 million.”

“According to financial disclosure forms made public today, Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton hold two accounts, each valued at somewhere between $5 and $25 million. One is an old-fashioned bank account; the other is a blind trust.”

“The former president upped his speechmaking money from the previous year, garnering some $10.2 million in payments, compared with about $7.5 million the year before.”

Bill Clinton “made a staggering $450,000 for a single September speech in London, at a Fortune Forum event, as well as $200,000 for an April appearance in the Bahamas to speak to IBM, and another $200,000 for a New York speech to General Motors.”

“Disclosure rules do not require him to reveal everything. He received an advance from Random House for an unpublished manuscript, but is only required to say that it was greater than $1,000. He also did not have to say how much he earns as a partner with Yucaipa Global Opportunities Fund, a Los Angeles-based investment firm.”

“The senator’s own book profits are declining, years after her “Living Historyâ€? became a best-seller. She reported royalties of $350,000 for the book last year.”