speaking engagements

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Scaramucci Could Make Bank as 'Sacrificial Lamb'

Ex-WH comms director could kill it on public speaking circuit, at up to $75K per gig: TMZ

(Newser) - After what TMZ calls an "absurdly brief gig" in the White House, Anthony Scaramucci may soon be enjoying big bucks from speaking engagements. Scaramucci, who was a White House fixture for less time than it takes for milk to spoil , could be getting a hefty ROI from his short...

Bush Quietly Earns $175K Per Speech

He uses confidentiality agreements to keep fees hush-hush

(Newser) - Bill and Hillary Clinton have been chastised for their hefty speaking fees while George W. Bush flies under the radar. The former president has made millions from at least 200 engagements in which he pocketed $100,000 to $175,000 for about an hour on stage, Politico reports. Among...

Why Do Famous People Get Paid So Much?
Why Do Famous People
Get Paid So Much?
OPINION

Why Do Famous People Get Paid So Much?

Ex-politicians jump on the star gravy-train and cash in, George Packer observes

(Newser) - Harry Truman once said he could "never lend myself to any transaction, however respectable, that would commercialize on the prestige and dignity of the office." But boy has that sentiment ever gone out of style. Bill Clinton made $17 million in speaking fees last year, and Hillary makes...

Hillary Hits the Speech Jackpot, Er, Circuit

Clinton is raking in the bucks, but dances a fine line with a 2016 run

(Newser) - For a paltry $200,000, Hillary Clinton will dish up such useful gems as, "Leadership is a team sport," and "A whisper can be louder than a shout." The former secretary of state is cashing in on the Clinton family business of speechifying, the New York ...

'Low Profile'? Bush Talks Rake in $15M

Ex-prez charges six figures per speech

(Newser) - George W. Bush says he wants to stay under the radar these days—hence his refusal of Barack Obama's invitation to attend a Ground Zero ceremony following Osama bin Laden’s death. But that’s not keeping him from accepting six-figure speaking engagements, and plenty of them, the Daily...

Bristol Signs $30K-a-Speech Deal

Palin heads to pro-life conference

(Newser) - Unwed momhood has rarely looked so good. Bristol Palin is following in her mom's footsteps with a lucrative speaking contract. A Palin family lawyer confirms to AP that Bristol has signed up with the Single Source Speakers and will receive up to $30,000 per engagement. Her first stop will...

Steele to Critics: Fire Me or Shut Up

Reports say donors shunning RNC because of its chairman

(Newser) - Michael Steele lashed out at his Republican critics today, telling them to “get a life” and “get out of the way.” Steele was responding to the hail of friendly fire he’s been taking lately, including today’s Washington Times report that donors are boycotting the RNC....

Lecture Circuit to Palin: Thanks, But No Thanks

Venues afraid ex-gov is a 'blithering idiot,' industry insider says

(Newser) - The lecture circuit isn’t sold on Sarah Palin. Though the ex-governor signed on with the prestigious Washington Speakers Bureau, which is hawking her services to the tune of $100,000 a speech, lecture buyers “are paralyzed with fear about booking her,” an industry insider tells the New ...

Palin to Make First Trip to Asia

Former gov will speak at Hong Kong investment conference

(Newser) - Once pilloried for her lack of foreign policy experience—except for Russia, which she said she could see from Alaska—Sarah Palin will make her first trip to Asia in September. The former Alaska governor will visit Hong Kong to address the CLSA Investors Forum, a prominent conference of global...

Palin Poised to Rake It In
 Palin Poised 
 to Rake It In 
OPINION

Palin Poised to Rake It In

Quitting lets guv 'follow the money'

(Newser) - She says media sniping drove her from her job, but in fact, “the media invented Sarah Palin,” and now's her chance to cash in on that celebrity. “Can we stop pretending that Palin is interested in anything other than her own ambition?” Kathleen Parker asks in the...

Condi Commands Same Speaking Fee as Ex-Boss

$150,000 price tag shows Bush may not be biggest star of his own administration

(Newser) - Condoleezza Rice isn't playing second fiddle to George W. Bush any longer: The former secretary of state charges a $150,000 speaking fee—the same as her old boss, The Hill reports. Rice will even get a jump on the former president later this month when she addresses the Economic...

Bush Ready for New Gig: Speeches

(Newser) - George Bush is officially ready for his new job: speech-maker. Now signed up with the Washington Speakers Bureau, Bush plans to make at least 10 speeches around the world in the next year. The first—"A Conversation With George Bush"—will be March 17 in Calgary to business...

Bill Clinton Earns $6M in Speaking Fees in 2008

(Newser) - Bill Clinton earned nearly $6 million in speaking fees last year, almost all of it from foreign companies, say financial documents filed by his wife. Of the former president's $5.7 million in 2008 honoraria, $4.6 million came from foreign sources, including Kuwait's national bank and firms in Canada,...

Blair Banks $20M in First Year as Ex-PM

Feat beats Clinton, but UN wonders if he's doing his peace job

(Newser) - Tony Blair took in around $20 million since stepping aside as British PM last October, the Times of London reports, six times what he’d made in his entire life and more than double Bill Clinton’s take in his first year out of office. Some at the UN have...

Huckabee Hasn't Put Down the Mic
Huckabee Hasn't Put
Down the Mic

Huckabee Hasn't Put Down the Mic

Unlike presidential rivals, ex-governor still giving paid speeches

(Newser) - As the presidential race heats up, candidates from both parties have backed off their lucrative speaking engagements, but not Mike Huckabee, the Politico says. The pastor-turned-frontrunner has been making the rounds at universities, charging $25,000 per speech. “If I don’t work, I don’t eat,” Huckabee...

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