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George W. Bush Charged Wounded Vets Group $100k for Speech
CNN ^ | 7/9 | Tom LoBianco

Posted on 07/09/2015 3:22:30 PM PDT by nickcarraway

Former President George W. Bush is under fire for charging $100,000 to speak to a group of veterans wounded in a pair of wars he started when he was in office, just the latest front in a political battle over speaking fees that has hit both sides of the aisle.

Members of the Texas-based Helping a Hero charity told ABC News that Bush charged $100,000 for his 2012 speech at a charity fundraiser for veterans who lost limbs in the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars. The former president was also given use of a private jet at a cost of $20,000 and former First Lady Laura Bush was paid $50,000 to speak to the group last year.

The fees infuriated one of the board members, who told CNN Wednesday that Bush should not have accepted any money.

"The point here is that a leader should not charge to speak on behalf of the men that he sent into combat, at any level, let alone the commander in chief," said Eddie Wright, a Marine who lost both his hands in a 2004 rocket attack in Fallujah, Iraq.

Helping a Hero builds houses for wounded veterans. But Wright and others were involved in a legal battle last year accusing some of the group's leaders of siphoning money and forcing veterans' wives to sell beauty products. The criminal complaint and a defamation lawsuit filed in response were settled out of court, according to the Houston Chronicle.

Following the reports, Helping a Hero issued a statement supporting Bush.

(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Extended News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: bush43; cnnlies; medialies
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1 posted on 07/09/2015 3:22:30 PM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway

It’s CNN, but it doesn’t sound good. This isn’t a situation where you can take fees from one charity and then turn around and “donate to charity” and come off as generous. It also doesn’t sound like GWB, so I’d like to hear more.


2 posted on 07/09/2015 3:24:46 PM PDT by Pearls Before Swine
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To: Pearls Before Swine

Agreed!


3 posted on 07/09/2015 3:27:27 PM PDT by GilGil
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To: nickcarraway

There is us....and then there is THEM!


4 posted on 07/09/2015 3:27:32 PM PDT by Don Corleone ("Oil the gun..eat the cannoli. Take it to the Mattress.")
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To: nickcarraway
"I've decided to dedicate the rest of my life to helping our vets, to helping those with whom I was honored to serve," Bush said at a June 24 event.

Go away.

5 posted on 07/09/2015 3:29:03 PM PDT by MUDDOG
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To: nickcarraway

It’s better than the kind of stuff Hillary does. And according to the article: “But Chuck Jenness, the group’s chairman, lists Bush as a “close friend” and said the Bush speech grossed $3.2 million.”

Still, I don’t know why Bush should charge anything for a speech to a group like this. I suppose he probably gets thousands of requests for charitable appearances, and can’t afford to do all of them, but I would think this is one that he should agree to do without charge.


6 posted on 07/09/2015 3:29:11 PM PDT by Cicero (Marcus Tullius)
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To: Pearls Before Swine

i saw this yesterday and the lamestream media is clearly running interference for Hillary because she has lots of embarrassing revelations in this area herself, but... i’m still disappointed in Dubya’s judgement on this. you’ve got to know how this looks and you’ve got to know eventually some ‘RAT will publicize it to call the GOP either hypocrites or uncaring bastards. these extravagant speaking fees for the the self-appointed governing elite are really a scandal in a country that has suffered through essentially zero real job growth for nearly 7 years now, and which has a 42.9% real unemployment rate. the gap between the rich and the middle class (and poor) is getting larger no matter whether the ‘RATS or the GOP are in charge. it’s bad for the future of the country. we’re living in a new era of robber barons, only these robber barons aren’t industrialists... they are politicians, media elite, and monopoly money internet gazillionaires.


7 posted on 07/09/2015 3:31:07 PM PDT by TangibleDisgust ("To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize." - Voltaire)
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To: Pearls Before Swine
From: George W Bush charged veterans’ charity $100,000 to speak at fundraiser:

George W Bush charged a military veterans’ charity $100,000 to speak at a fundraiser in 2012.

“It was great because he reduced his normal fee of $250,000 down to $100,000,” Meredith Iler, the former chair of Helping a Hero, told ABC News.

The former president was also provided with a private jet to travel to the event in Houston at a cost of $20,000, ABC News reported, citing unnamed officials.

A spokesman for the former president, Freddy Ford, confirmed the payment to ABC News.

8 posted on 07/09/2015 3:32:06 PM PDT by Ol' Dan Tucker (People should not be afraid of the government. Government should be afraid of the people)
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To: Pearls Before Swine
It also doesn’t sound like GWB

Don't be naive. It sounds exactly like that self-serving clown.

9 posted on 07/09/2015 3:32:13 PM PDT by LouAvul (Liberalism: much more than just a mental illness)
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To: nickcarraway

It was a fundraiser, how much did they raise? Also, who else has spoken at this charities fundraisers and how much were they paid vs amount raised. Lets open the books and see if this is a legit story or just a smear. Got to get the immigration issue out of the news.....


10 posted on 07/09/2015 3:32:25 PM PDT by martinidon
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To: Pearls Before Swine

Think about what the Clintoons rake in!


11 posted on 07/09/2015 3:33:10 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Pearls Before Swine

When charities request someone speak for them they pay them for the travel, hotels expenses etc. It’s SOP. Bush negotiated a deal at a lower cost then he normally gets from $250,000 down to $100,000. He’s entitled to it.

What’s not mentioned in the article is the enormous amount of time he provides free of charge because that’s the kind of guy he is.


12 posted on 07/09/2015 3:33:15 PM PDT by maddog55 (America Rising a new Civil War needs to happen.)
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To: nickcarraway

If its from CNN, thats what is, B/S.


13 posted on 07/09/2015 3:34:00 PM PDT by mongo141 (Revolution ver. 2.0, just a matter of when, not a matter of if!)
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To: nickcarraway

Oh Blech so what ?

How much did they raise in that event?

They make me sick. What is Hillary making to speak at the Girl Scouts or to sell uraniu to our state deptdesignated enemies and what is she doing with that cash?

CNNreporters should be ashamed


14 posted on 07/09/2015 3:34:26 PM PDT by stanne
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Comment #15 Removed by Moderator

To: nickcarraway
Sooner or later we all knew the agenda would have to return to "It's Bush's fault".

The usual pattern with these types of stories is that some sensational headlines are spread all over the place. When the real facts are known, the retraction is on page 16 or in the midnight news on TV about two weeks later.

16 posted on 07/09/2015 3:34:50 PM PDT by pfflier
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To: nickcarraway

Missing a lot of detail. Private donor paid the fee. Raised about $2.5 million which was considerably more than normally received at this type of event. Just trying to distract from the Clinton’s escapades.


17 posted on 07/09/2015 3:35:26 PM PDT by Techster
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To: nickcarraway

shameful w! give back the money right away. what was he thinking? Shame shame shame shame


18 posted on 07/09/2015 3:36:54 PM PDT by LeoWindhorse
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To: Ol' Dan Tucker
“It was great because he reduced his normal fee of $250,000 down to $100,000,”

That's like your wife going out and buying a $500 dress, then telling you she saved you $200, because it normally sells for $700.

19 posted on 07/09/2015 3:37:04 PM PDT by dfwgator
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To: nickcarraway

Wow, what a classy MOFO he is and they are moving back to their liberal lilly white neighborhood from whence they came.I’m shocked I tell ya.


20 posted on 07/09/2015 3:37:19 PM PDT by HANG THE EXPENSE (Life's tough.It's tougher when you're stupid.)
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