Independent Senator Bernie Sanders has criticized former President Barack Obama’s plan to receive $400,000 for speaking at a Wall Street conference later this year.
Speaking on CNN on Friday, the former Democratic candidate described the transaction as “not a good idea,” adding that he was “sorry President Obama made that choice.”
“I just think it does not look good,” Sanders said. “I just think it is distasteful — not a good idea that he did that.”
During campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination, Sanders had repeatedly attacked rival Hillary Clinton for making paid speeches to Wall Street banks.
According to a report by CNN, Hillary Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, made a combined $153 million off paid speeches from 2001 to 2015. The couple gave 729 speeches from February 2001 to May 2015 for an average payout of $210,795 for each speech.
Sanders had demanded Clinton release…