Revelations that ex- United States president George W Bush took in more than $100 000 in order to ensure his participation at a 2012 helping a hero charity fundraiser for vets wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan has led to moral outrage. Of note the report also discloses Laura Bush being paid $50 000 the previous year for her appearance.
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Ex- presidents routinely face a challenge after leaving the White House: what do they do with their suddenly empty schedule?
Helping a Hero is a nonprofit organization that helps to outfit homes for veterans who were wounded during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“I was doing what you told me to do, gladly for you and our country and I have no regrets”. “It was great because he reduced his normal fee of $250,000 down to $100,000”, said Meredith Iler.
“It is kind of a slap in the face”, ex- Marine Eddie Wright, whose hands were blown off during an attack in 2004 in Iraq, told ABC News.
As ABC News reported, Bush charged $100,000 to speak at a fundraiser for US military veterans sponsored by Helping a Hero charity, a Texas-based charity.
Ever since the wealth realized by Bill and Hillary Clinton from their public-speaking events emerged into public view, especially the high-roller lifestyle that gets funded by universities and charities seeking their help, the national media has searched for a context that mitigates it. ABC News finds a shoe-on-the-other-foot case that’s tough to defend. But as the commander-in-chief responsible for the prosecution of two bloody wars, Bush has faced a unique dilemma when it has come to addressing military veterans groups.
The charity defended Bush.
According to ABC, the charity said the total expenditure was justified because the ex- President and First Lady offered discounted fees and helped raise record amounts in contributions at galas held in 2011 and 2012. A representative for ex- President Jimmy Carter said he does not have a specific policy but often donates his honoraria to the Carter Center.
That’s exactly what former President George W. Bush did in 2012 – and now, he’s coming under fire for it.
“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. The report said the following year, the gala netted the charity substantially less, about $1,000,000.
But what if a ex- president charges $100,000 to speak to a group of veterans wounded in wars he started while in office? ABC asked Bush to explain, but as of late last night, there was no comment on the story.
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In what could be construed as a jab at Jeb Bush, Trump tweeted that it was “Not nice!” for Jeb’s brother, George W., to demand the speaking fee to address wounded war veterans. People will question why a ex- president wants twice the annual average household income in America to speak for an hour on behalf of veterans, and it’s not an unfair question.
