Janet Yellen has made at least $7m from speaking fees, records show

> Incoming US Treasury secretary was paid for events at Goldman Sachs, Barclays and others

Truth is, there a million ways in which large corporations can try to influence politics. In the US you have "lobbying", which is essentially legalized influence; but otherwise you can also pay very generous fees for someone to come speak at these events.

edit: for example, almost 300k for a single event:

> $292,500 from a single speech for hedge fund Citadel.

However, note that keynote speakers at very exclusive private events can be paid hundreds of thousands of dollars, especially if high caliber like her.

I wouldn't necessarily draw conclusions here; but I'm not defending anyone either.