Elections

Clinton Adviser On Paid Goldman Sachs Speeches: ‘It’s Pretty Bad’

REUTERS/Carlos Barria

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Leaked emails reveal one of Hillary Clinton’s longtime advisers privately acknowledging just how damaging Clinton’s paid speeches to Goldman Sachs could be to her campaign.

In January 2016, a handful of Clinton insiders — including campaign chair John Podesta and press secretary Brian Fallon — exchanged emails about the speeches, for which Hillary was paid $675,000 in 2013.

“It’s pretty bad,” Clinton adviser Mandy Grunwald said. “She is critical to some extent of what led to the crash but the more memorable stuff is totally accommodationist.”

The transcripts of Clinton’s private, paid speeches were among thousands of documents from Podesta’s personal email account released by WikiLeaks. Critics of WikiLeaks have accused the organization of acting as a front for Russian hackers.

The transcripts show Clinton avoiding placing the blame for the 2008 recession on Wall Street, a stark contrast from the position held by Democratic presidential runner-up Bernie Sanders.

Clinton also praised the benefits of fracking — unpopular with the Democratic base — in one of the speeches to Goldman Sachs/

In another private, paid speech, Clinton told Brazilian bankers that she dreams of “open borders.” (RELATED: Hillary Tells Bankers ‘My Dream Is Open Borders’) 

Yet another speech revealed Hillary worrying that jihadists could disguise themselves as refugees.

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