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Hillary Clinton defies criticism in return to paid speech circuit after election loss

The Democrat came under fire for receiving $675,000 for speeches at Goldman Sachs

Rachael Revesz
New York
Wednesday 01 February 2017 11:27 EST
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Ms Clinton is also working on a book of personal essays, reflecting on the 18-month campaign
Ms Clinton is also working on a book of personal essays, reflecting on the 18-month campaign (Washington Post)

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After a few months of relative obscurity, Hillary Clinton is back with lots of plans for 2017.

The former presidential candidate has resumed her relationship with the Harry Walker Agency, the bureau through which she gave paid speeches before the election.

Ms Clinton was frequently criticised for being paid to talk, including earning $675,000 at Goldman Sachs, which raised questions over her links to Wall Street.

She was called on for months to release the transcripts of the closed-door speeches, and they were ultimately revealed by WikiLeaks. She reportedly earned around $3m (£2.3m) from speeches after she left the state department.

Therefore it is likely Ms Clinton will earn a lot more money than Mr Trump this year, as the President claimed that he would turn down the salary of $400,000 (£316,680) and that he would step back from his real estate empire.

The Democrat, who lost the election despite winning around 3 million more votes than Donald Trump, is also working on a book of personal essays, reflecting on the 18-month campaign.

Publisher Simon & Schuster said the book will use inspirational quotes that Ms Clinton has drawn upon and it will be released this autumn.

The book does not yet have a title.

The same publisher came under fire this year after feminist author Roxane Gay pulled out of a book deal in protest after a lucrative book deal was offered to Breitbart writer and white supremacist Milo Yiannopoulos.

Ms Clinton was last seen in public at Donald Trump’s inauguration, which she attended with her husband.

Hillary's first speech since presidential defeat

A powerful video captured the moment she waited in the wings, taking a deep breath, before walking out onto the podium. At the ceremony she shook hands with Republican Jason Chaffetz, chairman of the committee on oversight and government reform. Mr Chaffetz later tweeted that his "investigation continues", regarding his desire to look further into her alleged misuse of her personal email server when she was secretary of state.

She has been seen more rarely in public over the last few months, delighting her supporters when they caught glimpses of her taking walks near her home in upstate New York, or visiting the local book store.

Ms Clinton has also agreed to be the 2017 commencement speaker at her alma mater, Wellesley, from where she graduated in 1969.

The New York Post reported that she was considering running for New York mayor, but the reports were unable to be confirmed by The Independent.

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