WASHINGTON — Despite Hillary Rodham Clinton’s claims she’ll take on wealthy special interests and reform Wall Street, the road to her White House run has been paved with gold from Washington lobbyists.
Records show Clinton has raked in $3.2 million from registered lobbyists, who bundle money from their rich clients.
That’s 3½ times more in lobbyist cash than the entire GOP field combined, according to Federal Election Commission records.
Republican Sen. Marco Rubio has nearly $500,000 from lobbyist bundlers, Jeb Bush has brought in $408,000 and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie had gotten $23,400.
Clinton’s bundlers represent clients trying to prevent a crackdown on Wall Street reforms, protecting the oil and gas industry and promoting corporate tax breaks, a Post review of lobbying records shows.
They work on behalf of Marathon Oil, MasterCard, Corning Inc., Prudential Financial, Exxon Mobil, Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, Delta Air Lines, Ernst & Young and General Electric.
Unlike President Obama, who swore off lobbyists’ contributions, Clinton is “not quite as allergic” to the lobbying industry, said Viveca Novak, from the watchdog group Center for Responsive Politics.
Clinton has tapped her long and extensive Washington network to fuel her campaign and voters should look at campaign contributions to “make a judgment as to who might be more serious about shaking up the system,” Novak said.
Democratic rival Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont attacked Clinton during Saturday’s presidential debate by implying her ties to Wall Street firms mean she couldn’t enact reforms against them.
The former New York senator said she has the toughest plan to rein in Wall Street abuses and said her efforts to help the city rebuild following the 9/11 attacks is why Wall Street supports her.
Democratic presidential rival Martin O’Malley said it was “shameful” for Clinton to bring up 9/11 when discussing Wall Street.
Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon on Monday said Clinton brought up the terrorist attacks as one example in which she and Wall Street worked together, calling any suggestion she tried to politicize 9/11 “outrageous.”
Meanwhile, former Rep. Barney Frank, co-author of the Dodd-Frank financial reform legislation, said Monday he trusts Clinton’s commitment to enact changes.
On Saturday, Clinton rejected Sanders’ notion her campaign is bankrolled by special-interest money and insisted “most” of her donors are small contributors. But a look at her finances shows that just 17.5 percent of her contributors gave $200 or less.