Hillary Clinton has rejected suggestions that paid speaking engagements which she undertook for big Wall Street banks might create a conflict of interest, as the 2016 presidential primary season begins.
“I gave speeches to a wide array of groups,” the former secretary of state told NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday, “from healthcare groups to auto dealers and many, many more.
“What they were interested in, because what we talked about was the world. Coming off of four years as secretary of State, in a complicated world, people were interested in what I saw, what I thought.”
That, she said, included “a lot of interest in the Bin Laden raid”.
“Americans who are doing business in every aspect of the economy want to know more about the world. I actually think it’s a good conversation to be having,” Clinton added.
In a tightening contest with Vermont senator Bernie Sanders, Clinton – who maintains a healthy national lead despite close races in Iowa and New Hampshire – has faced consistent criticism over her relationship with Wall Street. She at first rebutted such criticism by saying that as a senator for New York she represented the financial community in the aftermath of 9/11.
Asked by NBC host Chuck Todd on Sunday if there the speeches suggested a quid pro quo relationship or any conflict of interest, Clinton said: “Absolutely not. I took them on when I was senator.
“I took on the carried-interest loophole. I took on what was happening in the mortgage markets. I was talking about that in 2006. They know exactly where I stand.”
She said that as president she would work to ensure financial firms “no longer can wreck our economy the way they did in 2008”.
Clinton was also asked what would be her biggest priority as president.
“There are several really important issues, healthcare being one of them,” she said.
“I met a man on Friday who can no longer afford to pay for his HIV medication,” she said. “That really hits my heart. I know what people are going through.”
Clinton, whose campaign team has criticized Sanders’ proposals for radical healthcare reform as needlessly expensive and damaging to the legacy of Barack Obama, particularly the Affordable Care Act, said she would work to lower prices and “cap those prescription drug companies”.
Clinton also said the former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg – who is reportedly thinking about getting in the race with a third-party run – was “a good friend of mine”. She would not discuss the reports or speculate about his intentions.
“I’m going to do the best I can to make sure that I get the nomination and we’ll go from there,” she said.
