Former President Barack Obama is following in Hillary Clinton’s footsteps, giving speeches to Wall Street firms for six-figure compensations, according to a Bloomberg report released Monday.
Obama spoke to clients of Northern Trust Corp. in New York for $400,000, and also gave a speech to the Carlyle Group in Washington, D.C.
He is scheduled to appear at Cantor Fitzgerald LP’s conference next week, again for the sum of $400,000.
Kevin Lewis, an Obama spokesperson, defended the speeches to Bloomberg. According to Lewis, Obama’s speeches are “true to his values.”
“His paid speeches in part have allowed President Obama to contribute $2 million to Chicago programs offering job training and employment opportunities to low-income youth,” he added.
Obama was once a major critic of Wall Street, and his administration went after big banks following the financial crisis.
Hillary Clinton said in her new book that she considers her Wall Street speeches after leaving government a “mistake.”