The former president was also provided with a private jet to travel to the 2012 Helping a Hero event in Houston at a cost of $20,000

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

George W Bush charged a military veterans’ charity $100,000 to speak at a fundraiser in 2012.

“It was great because he reduced his normal fee of $250,000 down to $100,000,” Meredith Iler, the former chair of Helping a Hero, told ABC News.



The former president was also provided with a private jet to travel to the event in Houston at a cost of $20,000, ABC News reported, citing unnamed officials.

A spokesman for the former president, Freddy Ford, confirmed the payment to ABC News.

Helping a Hero aims to provide specially adapted homes for wounded veterans who have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan. More than 50,000 US soldiers have been wounded in combat in Iraq or Afghanistan since 2001, when Bush, as president and commander-in-chief, launched Operation Enduring Freedom. More than 6,500 have died.



Eddie Wright, a former marine who served on the charity’s board and lost both hands in a rocket attack in Iraq in 2004, told ABC News: “For him to be paid to raise money for veterans that were wounded in combat under his orders, I don’t think that’s right … It’s kind of a slap in the face.”

The charity defended Bush. Chairman Robert Clark told the Guardian: “We are proud that President Bush attended the Helping a Hero gala. The event raised unprecedented funds that are putting our nation’s heroes into specially adapted homes throughout the United States. His presence was appreciated by the veterans and supporters of the organization.”

Laura Bush, the former first lady, was reportedly paid $50,000 to speak at the previous year’s fundraiser.

Bush last year launched a new initiative aiming to help veterans adjust back to civilian life. About 2.5 million US military members have served in Afghanistan and Iraq in the past 14 years. “I have a duty,” he told ABC. “Obviously I get slightly emotional talking about our vets … I’m in there with them.”

Politico reported last month that Bush had given at least 200 paid speeches since 2009, usually collecting $100,000 to $175,000 per appearance. He charged $100,000 in February this year for a speech at a fundraiser for a Dallas-area homeless shelter in February.

Bill and Hillary Clinton have earned tens of millions of dollars from paid speeches, something that has become a source of controversy amid increased scrutiny of the Clinton Foundation’s business relationships as Hillary runs for the White House. The former president said last month that he would probably stop making paid speeches if his wife is elected.

Bush and Clinton are scheduled to speak at a Presidential Leadership Scholars programme event in Dallas on Thursday evening.