Bill Clinton: 'We Were Several Million Dollars In Debt'

The Clintons Really Should Stop Talking About Their Money

Former President Bill Clinton addressed his family's financial situation right after leaving office in 2001 while in Denver for CGI America on Tuesday, according to reporters present. Bill Clinton's comments came during an interview with NBC's David Gregory for an episode of "Meet The Press" set to air Sunday.

Gabriel Debenedetti of Reuters tweeted Bill Clinton's comments, which come after his wife Hillary Clinton encountered a few kerfuffles while discussing their wealth after leaving the White House.

Video was later posted online, in which Bill Clinton backed his wife's assertions about their personal finances following the conclusion of his presidency.

"It is factually true that we were several million dollars in debt. Everybody now assumes that what happened in the intervening years was automatic -- I'm shocked that it's happened," he said. "I'm shocked that people still want me to come give talks. And, so I'm grateful."

Bill Clinton also pointed to Hillary Clinton's record advocating for policies to help Americans of middle-to-low income as evidence that she is not out of touch.

"She's not out of touch, and she advocated and worked as a senator for things that were good for ordinary people," the former president said. "And before that all her life ... I remember when we were in law school, she was out trying to get legal assistance for poor people. I remember she was working on, trying to -- believing in paid leave for pregnant mothers in the 1970s."

The original comments from Hillary Clinton, widely considered a 2016 presidential candidate, stem from a June interview with Diane Sawyer of ABC News. During the sit down, Hillary Clinton said "we came out of the White House not only dead broke, but in debt" in response to Sawyer's question about her numerous paid speeches.

Their daughter Chelsea Clinton has also come under fire for making $600,000 per year while working as a contributor for NBC News, despite relatively few appearances on their broadcasts.

According to reporters in Denver, Bill Clinton also commented on income inequality in the United States:

He also gave his opinion on House Majority Leader-elect Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), as well as former Vice President Dick Cheney's criticism of President Barack Obama on Iraq and the legalization of marijuana:

This post has been updated to include full quotes from Bill Clinton's remarks.

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