While Donald Trump contends with new sexual assault claims from his past, Hillary Clinton’s ongoing email scandal continues to plague the Democratic nominee’s presidential campaign. Aside from Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta’s fantastic risotto recipe, these leaked emails have given journalists and voters a look into how the former U.S. Secretary of State’s operations were managed — including her much-maligned “Wall Street speeches.” Specifically, critics have taken issue with how often, and how much, Clinton was paid to deliver speeches at private functions for Goldman Sachs and other big banks with incriminating ties to the 2007-08 financial crisis.
Hence Seth Meyers‘ latest “Closer Look” segment on Late Night, which took a brief reprieve from its constant Trump coverage to hone in on Clinton’s Wall Street speeches. Why, Meyers ponders, were people so upset about the contents of these private talks — let alone the fact that Clinton gave them to a bunch of wealthy business professionals?
“There does seem to be a divergence in some cases between what Hillary told Wall Street bankers behind closed doors and what she said publicly. For example, Hillary’s insisted that she’s tough on Wall Street and yet, when she gave paid speeches to those Wall Street banks, it seems like she was sending them a slightly different message… You went to Wall Street and told them they should regulate themselves? You think billionaires regulating themselves is a good idea? Have you met your opponent?”
“These emails underscore just how important it is for people like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren to keep up the pressure on Hillary if she becomes president,” Meyers adds. Then again, as the talk show host mentions earlier in the segment, it’s probably also a good idea for Clinton to reconsider her approach to winning over the hearts and minds of Millennial voters. (i.e. Not campaigning with a 68-year-old losing Democratic candidate in the state that decided his loss.)
