Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonWhat Senate Republicans have said about election-year Supreme Court vacancies Bipartisan praise pours in after Ginsburg's death Trump carries on with rally, unaware of Ginsburg's death MORE on Wednesday sought to defend her speeches to Goldman Sachs, which became controversial flashpoints around her presidential campaign last year, saying they were some of the many speeches she gave.

When Recode cofounders Kara Swisher and Walt Mossberg asked Clinton why she would accept speaking gigs with the investment bank if she was considering running for president, Clinton shot back by asking why Recode invited Goldman Sachs to its Code Conference, where she was speaking.

"They paid us," Swisher said.

"They paid me," Clinton said in return.

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Clinton said she spoke to many groups of different stripes, largely recounting the Obama administration's hunt for Osama bin Laden.

And she added that she raised questions to Goldman during her first bid and ran a campaign ad about the "looming mortgage crisis" in her 2008 campaign.

"I never thought anyone would throw out my entire career of standing up and speaking out and voting against and in favor of what I thought were good policies because I made a couple of speeches," she said.

Sen. Bernie Sanders Bernie SandersKenosha will be a good bellwether in 2020 Biden's fiscal program: What is the likely market impact? McConnell accuses Democrats of sowing division by 'downplaying progress' on election security MORE (I-Vt.) used the speeches to repeatedly bash Clinton during the Democratic presidential primary, calling on her to release transcripts from the speeches.

And President Trump frequently brought them up during the general election as well, using them in his closing ad just before Election Day.

Trump ended up appointing a handful of former Goldman executives to his new administration after winning.