WASHINGTON – Bill Clinton is willing to give up his multimillion-dollar income from foreign speeches to smooth the way for President-elect Barack Obama to pick his wife, Hillary, as secretary of state, sources said yesterday.
In 2006 alone, the former president raked in $10 million from paid speaking engagements, including 31 that were given abroad. Bill Clinton often pockets several hundred thousand dollars per engagement.
“I’ll do whatever they want,” Bill Clinton said yesterday during an appearance in Manhattan.
If discussions continue at the current rapid pace, a formal announcement of Hillary Clinton‘s nomination will likely be made in a matter of days rather than weeks, source said.
Hillary Clinton, whose aides have recently signaled reluctance on her part to relinquish her Senate seat, is working diligently to satisfy the Obama camp’s concerns about her husband’s global dealings.
She is very serious about the prospect of becoming the nation’s top diplomat and is very likely to accept the post if it’s formally offered, advisers say.
“There is nothing at this point that would prevent her from being offered the position,” said one Clinton ally familiar with the negotiations.
Bill Clinton, blamed in some quarters for hexing his wife’s bid for the Democratic nomination, is doing all he can to make sure she doesn’t lose this job – including offering to forgo his lucrative foreign speaking income.
Under an emerging agreement between the two camps, if Bill Clinton wanted to deliver a paid speech abroad, he would first have to get approval from the Obama administration.
But Bill Clinton’s representatives have indicated to Obama’s aides that he is willing to abandon the lecture circuit if they insist on it, sources said.
The former president’s charitable activities also would be reviewed by lawyers at the White House and inside the State Department.
Hoping to ease concerns about possible conflicts of interest, Bill Clinton has agreed to publicly disclose the names of all donors who have given more than $250 to his presidential library and foundation.
Officials were still trying to work out the details on how to handle those who gave money on the condition that their names would not be revealed.
Meanwhile, face-to-face meetings between the transition team and lawyers representing the Clintons have ended, but aides to the president-elect said some final vetting is being done.
With Post Wire Services
churt@nypost.com