‘Cover Actual Crimes’: Internet Slams Politico for ‘Hit Piece’ on Biden Treasury Pick Janet Yellen

Journalists at Politico are under fire after the political news site kicked off the new year with an attack on former Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen, who is President-elect Joe Biden’s pick to be Secretary of the Treasury.

“In the past two years,” Politico tweeted, Yellen “has raked in more than $7.2 million in speaking fees.”

In the past two years, President-elect Joe Biden’s pick to be Treasury secretary, Janet Yellen, has raked in more than $7.2 million in speaking fees. https://t.co/ZkcAvrPfTw

— POLITICO (@politico) January 1, 2021

“Yellen and other Biden Cabinet nominees reveal earning large amounts in financial disclosures that could complicate their relationships with progressives,” is the sub-head in the article by Politico’s Alex Thompson and Theodoric Meyer.

Yellen spent nearly a quarter-century in public service, retiring as the first woman to ever be the Chair of the Federal Reserve. Previously she had served as a member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, and was Chair of President Bill Clinton’s Council of Economic Advisers, among other positions.

Social media users were furious. Some slammed the news site for using the term “raked in,” as if they were suggesting she had acted unethically or even illegally, neither of which is true. Others blasted Politico for the article itself, given that Yellen was a private citizen at the time and had every right to give speeches and be well compensated for them. She also had little expectation she would return to public service, after President Donald Trump refused to re-appoint her as Federal Reserve chair because she was too short.

And others accused Politico of trying to drum up anger among various wings of Democratic party voters.

Last I heard, collecting speaking fees was perfectly legal for someone not on the government payroll. Good for Janet Yellen — her talks must be intelligent and informative in order to command that much money.

— 🖖🎆Amy🎆🖖 (@bluevelvetspock) January 1, 2021

I’m not sure what Politico’s motivation was, but my take on it is that if Janet Yellen has made that much from public speaking, she’s obviously very well respected and probably very insightful as well.

— Pleasantly Pink (@ReginaRed4) January 1, 2021

Better to make it in speaking fees than by insider trading or exploiting labor.

— IdealsMatter (@HeyStine) January 1, 2021

I guarantee you that Janet Yellen doesn’t need a pardon for earning $7.2 million. https://t.co/O5tUSGOVpF

— KD (@Fly_Sistah) January 1, 2021

Wonderful! Women’s work should be properly compensated and it rarely is. Thank you Janet Yellen.

— Heidi Jon Schmidt (@noelcourage) January 1, 2021

Why “raked in”? Something unseemly or sinister about a smart woman paid well for her thoughts?

And why is this news?

— Michelangelo Signorile (@MSignorile) January 1, 2021

Yellen is very qualified, a hard worker and she pays taxes. She’s an excellent example of the work trained people should be doing.

— Debbie Hirsch (@DebraHirsch1) January 1, 2021

Alternatively: "In the past two years a world-renowned economist made an income nowhere near commensurate with a male CEO, but in a fit of peak 2016 misogyny, we thought we'd put up a sexist straw man and see how far we could ride it." Please, please, please do better.

— Victoria Brownworth #HappyNewYear🎉🎉 (@VABVOX) January 1, 2021

You get what you pay for. We should feel lucky to have her priceless expertise,driving our Country’s Treasury Department.Mnuchin hands Wall Street a Trillion $ every 3 months,and made a fortune Forclosing on Grandmas and Veterans,after the last crash. So I think we’re trading up.

— 😷Brian O’Loughlin💙🆘🐶❄🌊 (@brianoloughlin9) January 1, 2021

So?? Also this article conflates one-time speaking engagements with consulting work. They are entirely different things. In a speaking gig you convey your own thoughts and ideas to a group who is willing to pay you to hear them. Consulting involves enhancing the co’s bottom line.

— Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) January 1, 2021

Not news. All this says is that Yellen fulfilled her part of an agreement and was compensated.

This after watching the grifter in chief pay his businesses for 4 years with the taxpayer’s money.

The two are not even in the same country, much less ballpark

Do better @politico

— D.A. Gray (@dagray08) January 1, 2021

Isn’t letting the market decide a good thing?

If that’s what the market decided, who am I to complain?

— Jay Robertson (@IJefTomI) January 1, 2021

Alex & Theodoric began to write, “earned” but realized they was referring to a woman, legitimately making 7.2 million in speaking fees & it galled their pathetic male sensibilities so much that they chose “raked in” like the gutless, whiney asshole chauvinists they are.

— Victoria Laurie (@Ll20Victoria) January 1, 2021

One of the world’s foremost, influential, highly-regarded female economists might have something to do with it. Hillary, Warren, Yellen… I’m seeing something of a pattern. Maybe politico can investigate how much Bernanke, Paulson, Lagarde, Rajan “raked in.”

— Festive Source Merlin (@avvwrites) January 1, 2021

And here the media goes again..all of a sudden it’s not politically expedient for them to have a bar so low you can’t even see it. Right on cue as a Democrat is about to take office…

— Kelly🇨🇦 (@momma72of2) January 1, 2021

What kind of hit piece is this? Yellen got paid for her speeches & somehow this is supposed to nefarious?According to Politico, only Republicans are allowed to make a profitable living.

— Jay Dem (@JayDen5210) January 1, 2021

Good for her. Pay her her worth. Pay every woman her worth.

— Mattison (@Mattison) January 1, 2021

Image by Federal Reserve via Flickr