A spokesman for former President Barack Obama rejected criticism aimed at the former commander in chief for his acceptance of a $400,000 fee to speak at a Wall Street conference.
"President Obama will deliver speeches from time to time. Some of those speeches will be paid, some will be unpaid, and regardless of venue or sponsor, President Obama will be true to his values, his vision, and his record," spokesman Eric Schultz said in a statement released to HuffPost.
Schultz pointed out that Obama took a hard line on Wall Street during his tenure. "I'd just point out that in 2008, Barack Obama raised more money from Wall Street than any candidate in history — and still went on to successfully pass and implement the toughest reforms on Wall Street since FDR."
Democratic political consultant Hank Sheinkopf slammed Obama for the speech.
"Is there an irony here because he spoke incessantly about the income gap and is now earning from those same people he criticized? Yes it is. Should we expect it? Yes, we should because all former presidents do this," Sheinkopf told Fox News.
"He went on to attack against Wall Street and now he's being fed by those same people he called 'fat cats.' It's more hypocritical than ironic," Sheinkopf added.