For those fascinated by the gargantuan speaking fees of the Clinton family, and the universities that so eagerly pay them, the Washington Post has an eye-opening story this morning:
When the University of Missouri at Kansas City was looking for a celebrity speaker to headline its gala luncheon marking the opening of a women’s hall of fame, one name came to mind: Hillary Rodham Clinton.
But when the former secretary of state’s representatives quoted a fee of $275,000, officials at the public university balked. “Yikes!” one e-mailed another.
So the school turned to the next best option: her daughter, Chelsea.
The university paid $65,000 for Chelsea Clinton’s brief appearance Feb. 24, 2014, a demonstration of the celebrity appeal and marketability that the former and possibly second-time first daughter employs on behalf of her mother’s presidential campaign and family’s global charitable empire.
The article notes the negotiated schedule included Chelsea speaking for 10 minutes, participate in a 20-minute, moderated question-and-answer session and spend a half-hour posing for pictures with VIPs offstage. A $65,000 fee divided by 60 minutes of time at the event comes out to $1,083.33 per minute.
The university paid the fee to the Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation. The school made $38,500 in ticket sales for the event.