Clintons raised $2B to $3B in two decades

Bill and Hillary Clinton raised from $2 billion to $3 billion in the two decades they’ve been prominent on the national stage, according to The Wall Street Journal.

{mosads}The Journal tallied the Clintons’ speaking fees, fundraising for their foundation and the sums raised for Bill Clinton’s two presidential campaigns, for the Democratic National Committee while he was in office and for Hillary Clinton’s Senate and presidential campaigns.

Between $1.3 and $2 billion came from U.S. companies and industry sources, making up at least 75 percent of the sum — more than the 60 percent industry sources contributed to the two Bushes’ political operations. 

The Journal reports that if Hillary Clinton runs for president in 2016, as expected, she could return such donors to the Democratic Party, a source of concern for Republican fundraisers as they gear up for what’s expected to be the most expensive presidential election in history. 

Overall, the Clintons’ political operations raised $1.2 billion, their nonprofit drew between $750 million and $1.7 billion and they made about $100 million in speaking fees.

Hillary Clinton’s financial ties to Wall Street have brought her criticism from some progressives, who worry she’ll be too soft on the financial sector if elected. According to The Journal’s analysis, financial-services firms made up about 12 percent of the total raised by the Clintons — nearly as much as the 13 percent they contributed to former GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney’s 2012 campaign.

Like Romney in 2012, Hillary Clinton has come under fire for her wealth in recent weeks, after initially commenting that the Clintons were “dead broke” when they left the White House, and struggled to find a way to pay for mortgages on their multiple homes.

Both Clintons have scrambled to undo the damage done by comments that threaten to make Hillary seem out of touch with average Americans, but those comments have brought new scrutiny to the prolific family’s personal finances and fundraising abilities.