Clinton: Bill and I Aren't Like the 'Truly Well Off'

In a wide-ranging Hillary Clinton interview with the Guardian, one line is getting the most attention: Clinton's claim that she and Bill aren't like the "truly well off," despite have earned more than $100 million since they left the White House in 2001. Asked if she could really be a champion for fighting income inequality, Clinton said "people don't see me as part of the problem, because we pay ordinary income tax, unlike a lot of people who are truly well off, not to name names; and we've done it through dint of hard work."

Republicans were quick to pounce on her comments, Politico reports. "If Hillary is going to run for president, she might be advised to take a lengthy sabbatical from her $200K per pop speaking tour and private shopping sprees at Bergdorfs to try and reconnect with what’s happening back here on Earth," said a spokesman for GOP research group America Rising. Clinton supporters fired back—and weren't shy about naming names. "Clinton's point is about paying your fair share in taxes, unlike leading Republicans who try to evade tax responsibilities using offshore loopholes," said a spokeswoman for pro-Clinton group Correct the Record. The America Rising spokesman "has selective memory if he doesn't recall reports that Mitt Romney reportedly maintained more than $30 million in the Cayman Islands," she said. Earlier this month, Clinton took flak for claiming she and Bill were "dead broke" after leaving the White House. (More Hillary Clinton stories.)